MN Man Sentenced For Setting Fire To Tent With Wheelchair User Inside

MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Curtis Leikas, 34, has been sentenced to over 13 years in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.

Leikas, of Minneapolis, admitted to setting fire to the tent of a man who uses a wheelchair at a Minneapolis encampment in December 2023. The victim sustained severe burns to 90 percent of his body in the attack.

Leikas entered his guilty plea on Jan. 24 and received 425 days of credit for time served.

"This was a horrific act of violence against a vulnerable member of our community who was unable to flee the situation. I’m grateful the victim survived," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said.

"Mr. Leikas is being held accountable, and the community will be protected from him. Our office is committed to protecting all residents of this county; especially the most vulnerable among us."

Just before 1 a.m. on Dec. 5, 2023, Minneapolis police responded to a report of a person being set on fire near Glenwood Avenue and Twins Way.

Officers arrived to find a man, a double amputee, lying on the ground with severe burns covering his body. His wheelchair, found nearby, was also heavily damaged by fire. The victim was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim told police that someone had set his tent on fire, leaving him "burning for an extended period of time." He also recalled hearing the suspect say, "burn in hell" as the fire was ignited.

Minneapolis intelligence analysts later identified surveillance footage capturing the attack. The video showed a single suspect—later identified as Leikas—pausing near the victim's tent before walking away to the east. Moments later, flames erupted, quickly engulfing the tent.

Prosecutors determined that Leikas started the fire at 11:56 p.m. on Dec. 4.