Stolen bronze bust of gymnast Suni Lee recovered by St. Paul police

St. Paul officers found the bronze bust of Olympic gymnast Suni Lee during a search warrant linked to a shots-fired call. One person is in custody on suspicion of receiving stolen property.

Stolen bronze bust of gymnast Suni Lee recovered by St. Paul police

Bronze bust of Olympian Suni Lee found at east side home after shots-fired call

St. Paul police recovered a stolen bronze bust of Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee on Friday, more than a year after it went missing from Phalen Regional Park, Google News MT — Crime (en) reports.

Officers located the intact statue while executing a search warrant at a home on the city's east side, following a shots-fired call on the 900 block of Forest Street shortly after 12:30 a.m. During the sweep, they found spent rifle casings outside the building and subsequently obtained a warrant to search the interior.

Inside, officers discovered firearms, ammunition, and the bronze bust — undamaged.

A man was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property in connection with the statue theft. No arrests were made in relation to the gunfire itself.

St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry addressed the recovery in a written statement. "Our city honored a great American, Minnesotan, and Saint Paulite, with a statue to celebrate her incredible achievements in multiple Olympic Games," Henry said. "Last year, disrespectful and shameless thieves decided to desecrate this tribute by stealing the statue from our community. I am happy to report that the statue of Suni Lee has been recovered thanks to our officers' diligent response."

The bust was originally unveiled at Phalen Regional Park in 2023 and reported missing on 31 July 2025. The police department said plans are underway to reinstall it at the park "in the near future."

The theft was the second statue theft in St. Paul in 2024. A bronze bust of author F. Scott Fitzgerald was stolen in February of that year and cut into pieces; a suspect in that case was arrested after allegedly attempting to sell the fragments to a metal recycler.

Source: Google News MT — Crime (en)