Star Tribune
Police suspect inside job when 2 armed robbers held up Hopkins grocery, split with $45K
The armed robbers who hit a Hopkins grocery last month and fled with tens of thousands of dollars from the safe had help from an employee who was working at the time, according to police.
The revelations of a suspected inside job came in a search warrant affidavit filed this week in Hennepin County District Court and confirmed Tuesday by Police Chief Brent Johnson to the Star Tribune as a “corroborated and correct” version of what went down late at night on Feb. 15.
So far, the suspected robbers, Darius C. Elam, 29, of St. Paul, and Ryan M. Elam, 28, of Brooklyn Center, have been arrested and charged with holding up the US Grocery and Tobacco in the 500 block of N. Blake Road.
At the time of charges being filed, Johnson said that what the store employees endured at the hands of the Elams “was horrific and deeply affected them.”
The charges and an earlier related court filing say the Elams, who police believe are cousins, entered the store brandishing semiautomatic pistols. Two employees were bound and blindfolded with duct tape. The manager, threatened with her life and pistol-whipped in the head, gave the robbers access to the safe, which was left $45,000 lighter, the charges read.
The Elams took the employees’ cellphones and other possessions, including the manager’s gun, and stole an SUV that police later learned was owned by one of the four suspected conspirators.
A search warrant affidavit filed Monday by police that asked a judge for permission to search the SUV used as a getaway vehicle, however, now paints a clearer picture of how the crime was planned and executed:
Police and the FBI monitored Ryan Elam’s jail phone calls and heard her tell her girlfriend to “keep her mouth shut,” the court document read.
On Thursday, the girlfriend admitted to law enforcement that the Elams and two women — one of whom worked at the store and the other who owned the SUV — planned the robbery. She added that she was present when Ryan Elam discussed the plan, including to have an all-female crew working at the time of robbery “to avoid having any male employees working that would cause them greater difficulty,” the filing noted.
The girlfriend said the deal was for the Elams and the two women to split the stolen cash evenly. She added that the conspirator who worked there was spared injury during the holdup. As of Tuesday, “no significant amount of cash has been located,” the police chief told the Star Tribune.
After the robbery, the girlfriend continued, Ryan Elam called her on Facetime and held the stolen cash up to her head. The Elams also bragged about pistol-whipping the manager.
The employee in on the plot was arrested Friday and admitted to law enforcement before her release that she knew about the robbery beforehand. The owner of the SUV also confessed to colluding in the scheme.
Charges have yet to be filed against anyone other than the Elams as the investigation continues, Johnson said. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
According to Gomez, workers have had wages withheld under threats of possible deportations. Unauthorized workers are less likely to seek legal aid due to their legal status.
“What I want from this program is for other people not to suffer the same abuses that we’ve suffered in the past,” Gomez said. “This program is designed to prevent these abuses.”
CTUL said workers’ rights under the program will be shared in multiple languages.
Gomez specifically named Yellow Tree, United Properties, and Solhem Cos. as developers he’d like to see join the program. CTUL called for these companies, as well as Roers, Doran Properties Group, and MWF Properties, to adopt the standards.
Those working under developers in the program can report abuse to the standards council. After a complaint is made, the council will monitor contractors’ worksites to make sure they are complying with the standards.
If the council finds that a contractor is abusing workers, developers in CTUL’s program would be legally required to stop working with the contractor.
One man is dead and two others were fighting for their lives Saturday, as Minneapolis police searched for suspects following a triple shooting in the early morning hours.
According to police, officers responded to reports of automatic gunfire at a homeless encampment near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. shortly before 5 a.m. They arrived in the Ventura Village neighborhood south of downtown to find three victims with gunshot wounds.
The men were given aid and transported to HCMC, where one of them died. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the other two remained in critical condition. The identities of the men, who were homeless, were not immediately released.
Investigators believe that an altercation occurred after three people approached the camp. One of the victims had a BB gun that resembled a real pistol, but it was unclear if that was a factor in the shooting.
“Once again, tragedy has occurred at a homeless encampment and all three of the injured are known to police,” O’Hara said at a news conference Saturday. “Residents in the area have been very frustrated. This is an ongoing issue with encampments and all of the activity that’s associated with it. As soon as one encampment is cleared, another one pops up somewhere else and crime in the area immediately rises.”
Citing department data, O’Hara said that around 13% of all Third Precinct crime, and 19% of the precinct’s gun violence, happens within 500 feet of encampments. He said he believed that the camp where the shooting occurred appeared after officials had closed a larger encampment by a Franklin Avenue overpass.
Paula Williams, who has lived in the area since the late 1970s, said she often greets youth from the encampment and that none have made her feel threatened. But Williams said drug use and sex trafficking have become an issue.
“It’s just been whack-a-mole,” she said. “The police come daily or every other day. Somebody calls and they get chased away and by the evening, they’re back.”
“… This summer an alcohol fueled argument escalated into something that I deeply regret. I said and did things that are unacceptable and I take full responsibility for my actions. Although there was never any physical violence I am deeply remorseful for the fear and trauma caused by my anger. I’ve since been given an opportunity to step back, reflect, assess, heal and grow. Although the path was unfortunate, the destination was necessary. I’ve been able to embrace sobriety, spirituality, and integrity. I’ve been able to find myself again and love myself again. The clarity and perspective I now possess is priceless and has fueled my determination and dedication. It’s no coincidence that this next chapter of my life begins as I turn 40 and I can’t wait to live the rest of my life as the best version of myself I’ve ever been and continue to give back to my community.”
Bullshit. Then, and especially now.
It’s clear Sutherland’s primary concern has been the impact of his legal case on his career. Plus, he knows he has the power to shape the narrative about the next chapter of his life.
Influential men always do. Sutherland’s success and charm could still provide the platform for him to earn an abundance of grace, and an apparently consensual meeting with the alleged victim will only enhance those ambitions. But those accused of domestic violence should not have the ability to proclaim their redemption. They’re not reliable sources.
The criminal complaint from the summer incident states that the alleged victim told police Sutherland had been physically and verbally abusive in the past. It’s a familiar story. Too familiar. According to the National Domestic Hotline, 4 out of 5 victims of intimate partner violence from 1994 to 2010 were women. And more than three-quarters of the female victims ages 18 to 49 were “previously victimized by the same offender.”
Thursday’s arrest complicates Sutherland’s legal case and perceptions about his summer encounter with his girlfriend. But it doesn’t change the facts.
Pope Francis’ Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
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Minneapolis police search for suspects after triple shooting at homeless encampment
Pope Francis’ Catholic church reform process ends without giving more equity to women
New program protects nonunion workers from wage theft, other abuses