The man accused of sexually assaulting two women in their Brooklyn Park homes at gunpoint has been formally charged.
Darius Ahmadd Olson-Baker, 25, faces eight counts of criminal sexual conduct and two counts of first-degree burglary. He was arrested just hours after the Brooklyn Park Police Department announced a multi-agency task force had been formed to investigate the to two home invasion sexual assaults that occurred just days apart.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and federal law enforcement aided the investigation. At a news conference announcing the arrest, Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley thanked the community for an influx of tips that he said would aid the ongoing investigation. He also noted it was ultimately a Brooklyn Park police sergeant who connected Olson-Baker to the pair of crimes.
“He was aware of an individual that Brooklyn Park Police Department has had contact with in the past who exhibited similar behavior many years ago, breaking into the homes of victims,” Bruley said July 22.
According to Bruley, police learned Olson-Baker had been released from prison July 7 and later executed a search warrant near the intersection of 76th and Hampshire avenues north. He reported the suspect’s mother ultimately convinced him to surrender to police.
Each charge against Olson-Baker carries a maximum prison sentence of 20-30 years in prison. He made his first appearance in court July 24, with an omnibus hearing scheduled for Aug. 17.
July 17 incident details
Brooklyn Park police responded to a townhome complex around 5 a.m. July 17 after receiving a report of a home invasion on the 7600 block of Hampshire Ave. N., near Hartkopf Park. Responding officers noted that the sliding back door to the residence was open.
The victim reported waking up to an unknown adult male holding her at gunpoint, police said. The suspect allegedly demanded money from the victim and then sexually assaulted her.
According to a criminal complaint, the victim reported a five-minute struggle before Olson-Baker said “I’m going to leave now, let me go,” and ran out of the home. She then ran into her children’s bedroom and told them to call 911.
The victim described the suspect as a light-skin black male in his early 20s with a medium build, estimated to be between 5’ 2” and 5’ 6” in height. He was reportedly wearing a black hoodie-style sweatshirt, grey sweatpants and glasses at the time of the assault.
A significant police response was initiated due to the nature of the offense. A large-scale search was conducted that morning with assistance from neighboring law enforcement in Crystal and Brooklyn Center.
The suspect was not immediately located.
July 22 incident details
At approximately 6:30 a.m., Brooklyn Park police were notified of an assault in the 7500 Block of Jersey Ave. N. Responding officers learned a man had entered a woman’s residence around 5:30 a.m. and held a gun to the victim’s head before sexually assaulting her.
The criminal complaint noted Olson-Baker “became angry because he could not get an erection” and eventually left the second victim’s home. She then told her brother about the assault and asked him to call 911.
Officers were unable immediately locate the suspect, but the second victim’s description matched the July 17 assault.
In 2023, Olson-Baker was sentenced to 60 months in prison on a firearm charge. He served the first two-thirds of his sentence in prison and was set free July 7 on supervised release.
According to the criminal complaint, Olson-Baker’s juvenile criminal history involved burglaries and “similar in modus operandi.’
“For example, [Olson-Baker] crawled into bed with a juvenile female and touched her feet,” the complaint noted.
Investigators obtained a sample of Olson-Baker’s DNA and compared it to samples taken from the scene of the July 17 incident. “The results yielded a mixture of DNA from which [the victim] and [Olson-Baker’s] DNA could not be excluded but from which 99.9% of the world’s population could be excluded,” the complaint noted.
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