Charges: Man Pistol-Whipped Victim Over Stolen Car
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 32-year-old Hastings man is accused of pistol-whipping and holding another man at gunpoint over a stolen vehicle in Blaine late last week, according to charges filed in Anoka County Court.
Chad Anthony Robinson was charged with two felony counts of assault as well as false imprisonment in connection with the incident, which happened last Thursday.
According to the charges, Blaine police were called on a report that a man had been assaulted. When officers spoke with the victim, he said he had been pistol whipped several times by Robinson.
The victim and a friend were driving to East Bethel when they got a call from a man named Tony who wanted them to stop at his home on Flowerfield Road in Blaine. They went to his residence and walked into the garage. As they walked in, Robinson approached him and accused him of stealing his vehicle. Robinson then allegedly hit the victim in the head and face with a black handgun. The victim lost consciousness at one point.
The complaint states Robinson later told both the victim and his friend, at gunpoint, to get in the car. The three got into the car and drove to the Walmart parking lot in Blaine. The victim was able to get out of the car in the parking lot and ran inside the store to call for help. The victim thought Robinson left with his friend and feared for her safety.
The victim was taken to Mercy Hospital with a facial fracture that needed surgery and he had possible internal bleeding.
The complaint states officers went to the victim's friend's last known residence, and she was there with Robinson. She told police she saw Robinson knock the victim out and that she was scared. She also said he had something in his hand, but wasn't positive it was a gun. She told police the three of them drove to Walmart, where the male victim got out of the vehicle. Two other people walked up to Robinson, and they all left together.
Robinson denied any involvement in the incident and said he was never at the Blaine residence. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in jail and nearly $30,000 in fines.
