MINNEAPOLIS — A 17-year-old has been charged with first-degree aggravated robbery in juvenile court for his alleged role in a robbery and car crash on Lyndale Avenue North on Dec. 11.
According to a juvenile court petition, the Columbia Heights teenager entered the Clark Gas Station on the 4000 block of Lyndale Avenue North Sunday morning with two other juvenile males, who began eating and drinking items from the store.
The petition claims the store clerk told them they needed to pay for the items, at which point the 17-year-old tried to get behind the counter and take money from the register. When the clerk chased them down with a bb gun, another male from the group grabbed a gun from a vehicle and punched the clerk in the face while holding the firearm in his waistband, according to court documents.
The petition says all three juveniles fled the store in a gold Subaru station wagon, which crashed at a nearby McDonald's around 2 p.m.
A Minneapolis sergeant, who was inside McDonald’s at the time, heard the initial crash, which ended up involving five vehicles, and responded to the scene. According to police, three people were inside the suspect's vehicle and two of them ran off.
The teen was taken into custody after fleeing from the crash scene, the petition said. Officers also confiscated three firearms and an imitation or toy gun from inside the suspect's vehicle.
According to the documents filed in juvenile court, the state will move, by separate petition, to have the case certified in district court.
The 17-year-old is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Dec. 20, 2022.
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