Suspect in east metro robbery spree found hiding under stairs in Centerville home, sheriff says
The last suspect at large following a Twin Cities armed robbery spree that led to a countywide crime alert on Sunday is now in custody, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
Three men — ranging from 18 to 21 years old — are charged in connection to three robberies at gas stations in Roseville and Little Canada.
Two of the men, both from St. Paul, were arrested earlier this week. A third, from White Bear Lake, was arrested by deputies late Wednesday morning at a residence in Centerville, about 25 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
Authorities say the third suspect was found hiding under a stairwell inside his parent's home on Main Street, located just across the road from Centerville Lake. They received a tip from a family member that led them to the quiet lakeside community.
"Sheriff's deputies are now submitting an affidavit for a search warrant to be conducted, allowing them to find additional evidence tying him to the crimes, including the gun that was used," the sheriff's office said in a statement released on Wednesday afternoon.
The third suspect is charged with four counts of first-degree aggravated robbery. Authorities say surveillance video from the first robbery in Little Canada shows him holding a gun to the back of a clerk's head, eventually fleeing with cash and cigarettes.
At a later robbery in Roseville, two of the men are accused of repeatedly striking an employee in the head who tried to wrestle away one of their guns.
One man is charged with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, while another — who is accused of acting as a lookout during the robberies — faces three aggravated robbery charges and one for attempted theft for allegedly trying to steal a customer's purse.
"Since the robberies, our whole department has been working night and day to ID and locate the individuals responsible," said Ramsey County Sergeant Joe Kill.
According to the criminal complaint, authorities located the suspect vehicle soon after the third robbery and chased it into St. Paul. The driver eventually crashed into a powerline pole near Pierce Butler Route and Prior Avenue.
A witness told police three people ran from the vehicle into a wooded area. Officers soon found one of them hiding in a railyard nearby.
The other two allegedly caught rideshares and fled the area. It's unclear when and where the second suspect was arrested, but the complaint states he was uncooperative while being interviewed by investigators.
The complaint also notes the third suspect was recently convicted on a felony charge of fleeing police in a motor vehicle and was awaiting sentencing. He has previous convictions for third-degree burglary and financial transaction card fraud.
