Romell Lewis charged with stealing Porsche out of Minnetonka family's driveway, assaulting mother, boy

MINNETONKA, Minn. — A 21-year-old man is accused of stealing a car out of a Minnetonka family's driveway, assaulting a mother and her 13-year-old son in the process.

Hennepin County prosecutors charged Romell Lewis on Friday. Documents say the woman was "chosen and followed back to her home" on the day of the robbery.

According to charging documents, she had left her SUV in her driveway on Wingwood Court shortly before 11 a.m. on Aug. 17. She was taking groceries into her home when a group of men pulled up in front of her house in a grey sedan.

One of the men got in her husband's car, which was parked in the garage. When she ran out to confront the men, she was attacked and dragged away by Lewis and one other man, documents say.

MORE: Hennepin County Attorney's Office collaborates with local law enforcement to combat youth car thefts

The woman called for her son to notify 911. He came out into the garage holding his phone, but Lewis ran over to him and shoved him to the ground, charges state.

Eventually the men fled the area, taking their sedan and the woman's Porsche with them. Officers started pursuing the cars, but eventually stopped because they were fleeing at a high speed.

Documents say the Porsche was tracked to a Walgreens in Edina, where surveillance camera video captured Lewis' face. He is a suspect in multiple recent car thefts and burglaries throughout the Twin Cities and is accused of presenting a "serious risk to public safety."

He was charged by warrant for carjacking, first-degree aggravated robbery, and burglary.

The son's father, Craig Beason, said his family will be alright physically, though the mental toll of the crime has been difficult. 

"Like a lot of post-incident trauma, thinking about, you know, is someone following me now? Is someone going to, you know, run into the garage and rip me out of the car?" he said. "My son, like, a hard time sleeping at night because every time a car goes by he thinks is someone pulling into the driveway to, you know, to come back?"

Note: The above video originally aired on Aug. 30, 2023