A teen put a gun to the forehead of a woman carrying a baby in St. Paul early Wednesday and demanded that she hand over either money or her child, authorities say.
After searching the woman’s pockets, he and two accomplices ran off with the woman’s credit card and identification, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday.
Authorities charged one of the three teens, 18-year-old Xavion Tyrece Bell, with aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery.
The other two suspects, including the alleged gunman, are juveniles. One — a 15-year-old — was charged via juvenile petition Friday with first-degree aggravated robbery, according to a spokeswoman with the Ramsey County attorney’s office. The office is still reviewing the case against the third suspect.
Police responded to the 60th block of West Hyacinth Avenue in the city’s North End around 7:15 a.m. Wednesday and spoke to a Spanish-speaking woman through a neighbor who interpreted, the complaint said.
The woman reported that she’d been followed into a parking lot by an SUV.
When she got out of her vehicle, she picked up her baby and was getting things from her front seat when three teens climbed out of the SUV and ran toward her, court records say.
One of the teens pulled out a pistol, racked it and pressed the tip of it to the woman’s forehead before ordering that she give up money or the child, the woman told officers, according to the complaint.
Meanwhile, around the same time, police responded to a report of another armed robbery in the 1300 block of Park Street.
A man there told police three teens jumped out of an SUV and robbed him of his wallet at gunpoint.
The two robberies occurred blocks from each other, and investigating officers suspected Bell and his associates might be involved, the complaint said.
They found Bell and two teens outside Bell’s home in the 100 block of Maryland Avenue. The male victim identified Bell and one of the juveniles as among the group that robbed them, court documents say.
Using a search warrant, authorities say, police discovered these items in Bell’s bedroom: 15 cellphones, a shotgun, handgun and three BB guns, as well as credit cards, bank cards and IDs belonging to victims of past burglaries, robberies or break-ins.
Police also recovered a stolen 2009 Chevrolet Tahoe nearby.
When questioned by officers, Bell admitted to being present at the robbery on Park Street but responded “I don’t know” to other questions, the complaint said.
He denied having any knowledge of the credit cards and other stolen items located in his bedroom and said the guns did not belong to him.
No attorney was listed for him in court records.