MINNEAPOLIS — A St. Paul man is charged with committing five armed robberies and carjackings in just over an hour last month in Minneapolis.
According to a complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, Brandon Lee Rock, 20, is charged with six felonies in the alleged crime spree. Investigators believe he committed a string of robberies on Nov. 27, 2020 in Minneapolis.
At about 7 a.m. on the 1300 block of 7th Street Southeast, a man was getting into his vehicle when prosecutors say Rock approached him holding a black handgun, demanding his wallet, cell phone and car keys. Rock was accompanied by a juvenile co-defendant, according to the complaint.
At 7:15 a.m., the charges say Rock and his accomplice approached another man in the area of 21st Avenue South and East Lake Street, pointed the gun at him, and took his wallet and jacket.
Then at about 7:50 a.m., the charges say a woman was sitting in her vehicle near the 300 block of Elmwood Place when Rock and his accomplice pulled up to her vehicle, blocked her from exiting, pointed the gun at her and demanded she get out and give them her purse. She refused to do so and prosecutors say Rock fired multiple rounds at her as she drove away.
At about 8 a.m., a man was on the phone in his vehicle near 38th Street West and Dupont Avenue South, when Rock tapped on his window with a handgun, according to the complaint. Prosecutors say Rock ordered the man out of the vehicle, and demanded his keys, phone and any other personal property. The complaint says Rock and his co-defendant got in the car but eventually got back out and drove away in the first stolen car. That victim later told police that his car is a stick shift, and he doesn't believe the suspects knew how to drive it.
Finally, at 8:10 a.m., prosecutors say a man was walking near the 2900 block of Pleasant Avenue when Rock and his partner drove up, pointed the gun at him and demanded his personal items.
The man handed them his cell phone and attempted to run away, and the complaint says the two suspects stopped him and pulled an envelope with about $1,300 in cash out of his pocket.
Police spotted the suspect vehicle at about 8:20 a.m. but it sped away. Officers later found it on Pillsbury Avenue South. When police executed a search warrant, they found many of the personal items listed by victims, clothing that matched the suspect description, and a loaded handgun.
Rock is in custody and charged with five counts of first degree aggravated robbery, each of which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $35,000. He is also charged with second degree assault with a dangerous weapon, which carries a maximum penalty of seven years and up to $14,000 in fines. Rock's bail has been set at $500,000.
