A robbery suspect with a distinctive facial tattoo and a history of prior encounters with law enforcement was arrested Thursday, aided by video evidence and real-time license plate tracking technology.
The incident began around 5:10 p.m. on May 20, when Fargo Police were called to a business in the 4200 block of 13th Avenue South for a reported robbery.
According to police, a loss prevention employee observed a woman attempting to leave the store with a shopping cart filled with high-value merchandise. When the employee confronted the woman near the exit, the suspect responded violently—ramming the employee multiple times with the cart.
In a further act of aggression, the suspect reportedly threw hot coffee in the employee’s face, causing visible redness, pain, and damage to the employee’s clothing. While most of the merchandise was recovered, a $700 coffee machine was stolen as the suspect fled the scene.
Thanks to video surveillance and the suspect’s distinctive tattoo on the left side of her face, officers identified the suspect as Madison Dunkirk, 27, of Fargo. The store employee recognized Dunkirk by name, and officers at the scene confirmed the identification after reviewing footage.
Two days later, on May 22, Sgt. Jordan Korte spotted Dunkirk inside a vehicle near 25th Street and 19th Avenue South during routine patrol. Although the vehicle was lost in traffic, Officer Elliot Duggan used the FLOCK license plate reader system to determine the vehicle’s last known location.
Officers anticipated that Dunkirk might be heading to a known address and redirected patrol units accordingly. She was located in a parking lot in the 1200 block of Broadway North and taken into custody without incident.
Dunkirk was arrested for robbery, as well as on two outstanding warrants—one from West Fargo for failure to appear, and another from Cass County for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
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