By Shannon Fiecke, Staff Writer

What do some people think is fun to do when they’re drunk and bored?

Apparently run through an apartment building in the middle of the night screaming “fire.”

Three young men are accused of causing such a ruckus last weekend at Garden Lane Apartments, 700 Garden Lane, after partying it up at a local
park.

Police got a call at 1 a.m. Saturday that three “highly intoxicated” males were pounding on doors inside the Shakopee apartment complex,
yelling fire. They also allegedly broke open a fire extinguisher box and sprayed common areas of the building and the parking lot.

Two of the men, ages 18 and 24, entered an apartment unit where a family was sleeping, and one jumped in the bed of a 14-year-old girl, police said.

The men ran off when police arrived but were apprehended, Shakopee Police Chief Jeff Tate said.  

The strange incident doesn’t end there, however.

Police ended up arresting a fourth man, whom they say was so disturbed by firetrucks at the scene that he began harassing emergency personnel and punched a firetruck (yes, that’s right).

While firefighters were ventilating the building to get rid of the extinguisher smell, Tate said the man began swearing and complaining about the presence of officers and firefighters and was repeatedly warned to stay back.

 “He was angry that everyone was there,” Tate said. “He wouldn’t take no for an answer. He wanted to get his verbal jabs in.”

Eventually the man, who is 32, jumped onto a firetruck, opened a door and began berating the firefighter inside. After shutting the door, he
hopped down and punched the truck, Tate said. The man also climbed onto a firetruck while it was turning around in the cul-de-sac.

“His main reason was this was a waste of money,” Tate said.

No one answered a call placed to Garden Lane Apartments about the incident Tuesday afternoon.

It appears the three suspects lived at the neighboring Garden Villa Apartments, said Shakopee Police Sgt. John Buetow.

The city of residence listed for the men varies among police,
jail and court records. 

The upset man was 32-year-old Jose Luis Navarro, who is listed as
being both from Shakopee and Prior Lake. He faces misdemeanor charges of interfering with a firefighter and obstructing the legal process without force. Navarro has a long list of court convictions, including vehicle-related incidents, such as driving without insurance, as well as disorderly conduct and domestic assault.

Tate said it doesn’t appear Navarro was connected to three men
who caused the initial disturbance. They are all from the metro area and are ages 18, 22 and 24.

The County Attorney’s Office is still considering formal charges
against the three men, who were arrested and jailed on higher-level offenses. The Valley News generally doesn’t name suspects until they are formally charged.

All four of the men have been released from jail.

Shannon Fiecke can be reached at (952) 345-6679 or sfiecke@swpub.com.