[Lyndale_e-news] Time to Rally. Incident on Grand Ave. at Super Elite Groceries

[stuart skrien]

This information is important and affects us all.  I want you to be  
aware of what happened one week ago.

Two men were seen sprinting out of Super Elite across Grand Ave. at  
8:00pm last Thursday night.  A resident of Lyndale saw them while  
driving home on 33rd.  The two men ran North in the alley west of  
Grand and the resident followed in her mini van to see what two  
sprinting men in the dark were doing.  Just as the resident drove into  
the alley, a small car with its lights off sped out of a driveway   
right in front of her van.  911 was called and license plate and car  
description was given and the lights on the car stayed off as they  
sped away.  The car was followed for a few blocks until it was lost  
around Pillsbury  approaching 35th.  With 911 dispatch still on the  
cell phone, the resident went back to the corner store to check.   
Through the door could be seen a mess all over the floor and going in,  
the resident saw the empty cash register hanging off the counter by  
it's cord and behind the counter lay the employee, leaning against the  
back wall, dazed and trembling.  He was ok.  Police arrived within two  
minutes.  Mo, the store owner who was at home was now on his way there.

So, the two had come in to the store. One put a gun to Mohammed's  
chest and demanded the money.  Mohammed thought he was going to be  
shot so he took hold of the gun and the robber's hand and pointed it  
back toward the robber. The second man then threw the register at  
Mohammed and he fell back against the wall, the register drawer opened  
and spilled a couple hundred dollars out behind the counter they  
hopped over or came around grabbed the money, barked threats and took  
off running across Grand Ave.

Crime Lab came for evidence and they took the tape of the full color,  
three-security-camera footage.  The store stayed open and then at  
10:00pm the police found the car with matching plates in the parking  
lot of a hotel in Bloomington.  They went in and arrested the three  
men inside their hotel room.    The next day, Mohammed had a difficult  
time making a positive id so they released all three.   A prosecutor  
has been assigned to this case. Sergeant Carpenter has been assigned  
as the detective.  By the way, in the City of Minneapolis right now  
there are 3500 reported robbery cases being handled by SIX  
detectives!  Detective Carpenter was told to please put this one at  
the top of the list as it seems such a tight case.  As of this  
morning, the detective unit is still waiting on the crime lab to  
transfer the footage from VHS to CD and produce the images for  
Sergeant Carpenter.  Also, today a warrant was issued for a Lyndale  
resident whose photo is on the store's wall from a previous incident  
at the store one month ago and who Mohammed is convinced was one of  
the men who robbed him.  This man was not found in the hotel room.


Here is where you all come in to this.  It's time for all of us to  
help make sure this one gets attention.  Let's see this one through.

================================================
The CASE NUMBER  CCN: 09-343709

Sergeant Bruce Carpenter's phone #:  612-673-2568
================================================


Impact statements, phone calls, if it goes to trial, we should have a  
presence at the trial, checking in to see what judge may hear this  
one.  Dialogue ideas.  Tell your neighbor to sign up for this e-news  
and help get people linked in to our lovely little community here in  
Lyndale.

Thanks for taking time to read this.  Keep your eyes open and have a  
great day!

Cindy Skrien

p.s. I can be reached at 612.720.0369