2 Men Convicted In Armed Robbery Of 'U' Students
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two men who pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of two college students in Minneapolis have been convicted.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says Javonta Williams of St. Paul, 20, and Lavelle Grayson of Minneapolis, 23, robbed the students on the West Bank campus of the University of Minnesota in the early morning of July 30.
According to the criminal complaints, a man and women were confronted by Williams and Grayson while they were going back to their residential hall after spending the evening in the Seven Corners business area.
As the men approached the students, one of them pulled out a big handgun and told the victims, "Put your face in the grass and give us everything you've got."
Williams and Grayson made off with the man's wallet, a cellphone, several credit and debit cards from both victims, $20 cash and the woman's driver's license and student ID.
A man found a backpack with a large gun inside later that day in a Minneapolis parking ramp, and brought it to police. The backpack also contained the woman's student ID card and her license.
The male victim told investigators that his credit card had been used at ATMs at three different light rail stops.
Police looked at light rail surveillance footage from that day and spotted two men, one of whom was wearing a backpack that looked like the one recovered.
Investigators were eventually able to identify Williams and Grayson from the videos.
Williams will be sentenced Jan. 16, and is expected to receive 36 months in prison.
Grayson was sentence to 48 months on Dec. 12.
