A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to decades behind bars for a violent crime spree that left one man dead and another injured during a high-speed police chase in central Minnesota.
Ameer Matariyeh, 27, received consecutive sentences of 306 months and 153 months after entering a Norgaard plea in August to second‑degree murder and attempted second‑degree murder. A Norgaard plea allows a defendant to admit guilt while claiming they cannot recall the incident. Additional charges—including first‑degree assault and fleeing police—were dismissed at sentencing.
The violent series of events began on Oct. 22, 2024, when Minneapolis police responded to a domestic violence call at an apartment building near Lyndale Avenue South and West 29th Street. As officers arrived, Matariyeh allegedly fired from his balcony at his ex‑girlfriend—who is also the mother of his child—and her current boyfriend. Neither victim was struck. Police later found the apartment empty and contacted Matariyeh by phone, learning he had fled the city.
Shortly after 1:50 p.m., Kandiyohi County deputies were alerted to a stolen Chevy Malibu traveling west on Highway 7. Minutes later, deputies learned the suspect was at a home near Lake Lillian. A 911 call soon followed: a man had been shot in the chest. According to charging documents, the victim’s wife reported hearing a single “pop” before her injured husband staggered inside, telling her to get his gun.
Matariyeh then fled westbound, reaching speeds of up to 130 mph. While deputies pursued him, negotiators on the phone with Matariyeh reported he claimed he intended to “attempt suicide by cop.”
Around 2:25 p.m., OnStar remotely disabled the stolen vehicle. Matariyeh got out and approached a passing green pickup truck, fatally shooting the driver, 55‑year‑old Jerome Skluzacek of New London. After briefly moving into the median with his hands raised, he was taken into custody by deputies.
While in the squad car, Matariyeh told officers he was “throwing his life away” because he believed he had been cheated on, according to court documents.
Matariyeh also faces separate charges in Hennepin County for the earlier Minneapolis domestic violence standoff, including multiple counts of felony assault and one count of misdemeanor domestic assault.
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