Watch CBS News

Minneapolis Bar Patrons Robbed At Gunpoint; Suspects Arrested

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis bar robbed at gunpoint during a busy happy hour.

The gun-toting criminal was looking for the safety deposit box. When he didn't find it, he robbed the bar's patrons.

Within minutes of the robbery, Minneapolis police were able to track down the man with the gun -- 36-year-old Jerome Caldwell. Officers also arrested the lookout -- 22-year-old Richard Collins.

One group of friends were out for dinner and drinks to celebrate the birthday of one of their roommates. Instead of a good time, they got a gun pointed in their faces and robbed -- an ordeal neither roommate say they will soon forget.

Sporty's Pub and Grill in southeast Minneapolis is a neighborhood bar where many come for the burgers, cold beer and good company. Around midnight Tuesday, the bar became a crime scene when a man walked in with a gun.

"As soon as we got our food for dinner, we saw the waitress come around with a guy holding gun to her," witness Nate Segal said.

Segal and friends were celebrating his birthday and were forced to watch the gunman walk the waitress to a door where only employees should enter. He says the man was demanding a black box.

"The bartender grabbed it and sprinted out the door with it and was gone," Segal said. "He actually called the police, so he definitely saved the day, but I think grabbing the cash box may have been a mistake."

Segal says because there was no black box, the armed man turned his attention to his party.

"He said 'Give me your wallet and give me your phone.' He was holding us at gunpoint," Segal said.

Minneapolis Police say the gunman, 36-year-old Jerome Caldwell, took what he could from more than two dozen people in the bar and ran.

"[It was] the most frightening night of my life, that's for sure," witness Cameron Donaldson said.

Within minutes, police were there. According to Minneapolis Police an accomplice, 22-year-old Richard Collins, the lookout man, was arrested on the street. Officers followed footprints in the snow and tracked one of the stolen cell phones to an apartment where Caldwell was hiding.

"They did everything I expect my tax dollars to do," Donaldson said. "That's 100 percent certain."

Police were able to return the phones and wallets to everyone at the bar. Caldwell and Collins both face aggravated robbery charges.

Segal and his buddies say they were impressed at how quickly police responded and got them all their stuff back.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.