An 18-year-old from Eden Prairie is back in custody after allegedly violating his release conditions while awaiting trial in a Minneapolis assault case that left a man with a broken jaw and other serious injuries.
Zachariah Keyonte Seals was booked into Hennepin County Jail on July 16 after Eden Prairie police arrested him on a warrant issued by the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation. A judge revoked Seals’ conditional release later that day, citing probable cause that Seals violated terms of his court-ordered electronic monitoring, according to court records.
The warrant stems from Seals’ pending felony charge of third-degree assault causing substantial bodily harm. According to a criminal complaint filed April 15, Seals is accused of punching another man at about 1 a.m. April 14 near the 400 block of Hennepin Avenue South in Minneapolis.
Police found the man lying on the ground, bleeding from the mouth and head. He told officers he didn’t know what happened, only that he had been attacked. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he was treated for two jaw fractures that required surgery, the loss of multiple teeth, a head wound that needed sutures, and a brief loss of consciousness.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the man walking southbound on Hennepin Avenue shortly before the assault. A group of males approached him, and one struck him in the face, knocking him unconscious with a single punch. The attacker and others fled the scene.
About 90 minutes later, officers found Seals near a business on First Avenue South, wearing clothing that matched the suspect’s description. He was arrested at the scene. During his arrest, Seals told officers that he had been assaulted first, the complaint states.
Investigators later reviewed jail phone calls made by Seals that same day. In two calls, Seals admitted to punching the man for “mouthing off” and said he “put him to sleep.”
A judge initially set bail at $40,000 with conditions, including no contact with the man. Following his July 16 arrest, Seals’ bail was reset at $20,000. As of Tuesday, July 22, he remained in custody. His next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday, July 24, at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis.
Seals is represented by a public defender.
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