Three disguised men burst into a Burnsville jewelry store with sledgehammers on Sunday afternoon, ordered employees and customers to the floor and began smashing glass cases and grabbing diamonds and jewelry before fleeing, according to new criminal complaints filed in Dakota County Tuesday.
Apparently unbeknownst to the men, they also absconded with a GPS tracking device which allowed law enforcement to track their movements after leaving the store.
According to the criminal complaints the three men, identified as Trevon Shukur Edwards, 19, Antoine Devill Scott, 26, Marquell Lamar Evans, 28, entered the store just before 1:15 p.m. and ordered six customers and six employees inside to get on the ground and threatened them with harm if they did not comply. Employees later told police that one of the males started giving a countdown of 30 seconds when the men began smashing the display cases. The suspects then fled in a red or maroon minivan.
Law enforcement located the suspects within several minutes of the robbery with the help of the GPS tracking device and took all three into custody. They were found near the described red minivan along with several pieces of jewelry and other evidence directly related to the robbery. Police learned that the minivan had been stolen from a hotel parking lot in Bloomington a few days earlier, the complaint said.
Jewelry store employees who were interviewed following the robbery told police about a suspicious incident that had taken place the day prior in which a black male had come into the store and inquired about a bridal ring set valued in the range of $15,000 to $18,000. The employees described the man as nervous and that he’d asked about whether other diamonds were kept in a vault on the premises. Employees also said that the male appeared to be counting the number of display cases in the store and familiarizing himself with the layout of the store and made a point not to touch any of the display cases. He left without making a purchase.
All three suspects, whose addresses list as Detroit, Michigan in the booking records, have been charged with one count each of felony first-degree aggravated robbery which carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years if convicted. All three made their first court appearances on Tuesday and were granted public defenders and ordered conditionally released by Judge Ann M. Offerman. All three are holding on bail amounts ranging from $125,000 to $300,000 with conditions or $200,000 to $400,000 without conditions. All three are scheduled to make their next appearances on the charges on Nov. 27 in Dakota County court.
Evans and Edwards are also charged in separate Dakota County cases with one count each of felony fugitive from justice and are being held without bail in those cases. Evans and Edwards appear to have related pending Michigan cases involving multiple felony counts against each including weapons, armed robbery, unlawful imprisonment and carjacking. Evans is facing 16 felony counts and Edwards is facing 14 felony counts in those Michigan cases. Warrants were issued for their arrests on Oct. 30 in that state related to those cases. Scott is also wanted on a Michigan probation violation warrant related to a prior conviction for assaulting a police officer in that state.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information offers citizen-powered news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
