2 juveniles arrested after firing shots at people in a vehicle near Cass Lake

CASS LAKE — Two juvenile males have been arrested after firing gunshots at people in a vehicle on Thursday morning near Cass Lake.

According to a release from Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk, at 11:06 a.m. on Thursday, March 30, the dispatch received a call reporting weapon fire with one person possibly shot in the area of 164th Street Northwest in Pike Bay Township, rural Cass Lake.

Deputies and officers from the Leech Lake Tribal Police Department responded to the area and located and met with two juvenile male victims and their families. The investigation indicated two juvenile males were traveling in a vehicle on 164th Street Northwest, just west of 61st Avenue NW when they encountered two males on the roadway.

The victims reported they were shot at several times while inside their vehicle, and several rounds of weapon fire struck their vehicle, the release said. No injuries were reported from the weapon fire.

Law enforcement immediately set up a perimeter of the area and began to search for the two suspects, who reportedly fled the area on foot.

After extensive searching of a large wooded area utilizing numerous officers, a K9 Team, drone teams, tracked ATVs and snowmobiles, both suspects — two juvenile males — were taken into custody without incident and weapons were recovered, the release said.

Further investigation indicates that the juveniles were known to each other. They are being held at a Juvenile Detention Facility with formal charges pending.

During the incident, several nearby Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe offices and facilities, the Cass Lake Indian Health Services and educational facilities were advised of the situation. They put lockdown procedures into place until the situation was resolved.

The Leech Lake Tribal Police Department, Leech Lake Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota State Patrol assisted at the scene and with the ongoing investigation.