Minneapolis man charged for driving at 2 Washington County campground workers

A Minneapolis man is charged after he drove at two campground workers in Washington County, court documents show.

According to a criminal complaint, 53-year-old Michael Fritz is facing two counts of second-degree assault and one count of fleeing a peace officer.

Washington County deputies were called to the Saint Croix Bluffs Campground on Tuesday around 1:10 p.m. in response to a caller who said Fritz attempted to run him and his wife over.

The workers told deputies they were picking up trash when Fritz argued with his girlfriend, then yelled at them to stop looking. Court documents said Fritz then got into his car and drove through multiple campsites directly at them.

At one point, one of the campground workers said Fritz “aimed the car” at her husband and came within feet of hitting him. The campground worker also said she had to run behind a large tree to protect herself, according to the criminal complaint.

Deputies spoke with a camper who confirmed Fritz drove his car directly at the two campground workers. Then, deputies took Fritz into custody after a brief pursuit.

Fritz is set for an omnibus hearing on Sept. 16.