Plea Deal Includes Mandatory Prison Time For Rochester Shooting

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Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - A Rochester man faces a mandatory prison sentence under a plea agreement reached today that settles two criminal cases.

24-year-old Langston Mercedes entered a guilty plea to a second-degree assault charge stemming from a shooting in June and a felony count for fleeing a police officer motor vehicle connected to a high-speed chase in early May. In exchange, a felony charge for the illegal possession of a gun and several misdemeanor counts related to the police chase will be dismissed.

Mercedes was accused of shooting a man in the leg during a birthday party for the victim at a northwest Rochester apartment complex on June 15th. The criminal complaint said Mercedes was the boyfriend of a family member invited to the birthday gathering.

The police chase occurred on March 10th after an Olmsted County Deputy clocked him driving a vehicle at more than 90 miles per hour on Highway 52 just north of Rochester. Court records say the pursuit then went into the city, with speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour on 55th Avenue Northwest where the vehicle driven by Mercedes nearly smashed into another vehicle after he failed to yield at an intersection. He was eventually captured at his girlfriend's apartment.

Court records indicate Mercedes was released from prison in August 2020 after he served a sentence for an aggravated robbery conviction in Minneapolis in a 2015 case. His plea agreement calls for a 45-month prison sentence, and because of his criminal history, he will have to serve a minimum of three years behind bars before he will be eligible for release. His sentencing hearing has been scheduled for January 24th.