2 Adults, 1 Juvenile Charged In Dakota County Armed Robbery Spree
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 17-year-old, a 21-year-old and a 27-year-old have been charged with multiple felonies in connection with a Wednesday armed robbery spree across Dakota County.
Daiquawn Michael Burrell-Smith, 21, of St. Paul; Jared Otha Washington, 27, of Minneapolis; and a 17-year-old male of Minneapolis were each charged for their involvement in a string of robberies in Apple Valley, Eagan and Burnsville. A motion has been filed to certify the juvenile as an adult for purposes of prosecution.
A white car was stolen at gunpoint Tuesday by unidentified individuals, according to court documents. Police say the stolen vehicle was used in four armed robbery incidents the next day. A victim of the robberies led police to the suspects by activating the tracking app on his cellphone, which was stolen by the men.
Police say the first Apple Valley incident occurred just before 5 p.m. Wednesday when two armed men entered a car while it was parked, pointed handguns at the driver and stole the man's cellphone, keys and wallet before fleeing.
According to court documents, the next incident happened in Eagan around 6 p.m. Police say two men exited the back seat of the stolen white car, pointed their guns at the walking victim, and knocked the victim to the ground. They also stole the victim's cellphone and wallet.
Two men approached a vehicle with a woman inside at 6:25 p.m. in Burnsville, according to police. Court documents show they attempted to open the locked doors, then one of them tapped on the driver's window with a handgun and told the woman he would kill her if she did not exit the car. The woman honked her horn, and the men fled.
Police say the second Apple Valley incident occurred at 6:40 p.m. when the stolen white car followed a man to his home. After parking his car in the garage, the man was approached by two armed men who pointed their guns at him and took his cellphone and keys. A third man allegedly entered the garage and told the two armed men to return the items before they all fled the scene.
Police arrested the men after the stolen car attempted to flee, accelerating down the wrong way of traffic where it struck a marked patrol car head-on.
