A robbery suspect who police say targeted cellphone stores across Minneapolis was charged with three of those robberies on Tuesday, according to new court filings.
The suspect, Ananias Taylor, 63, had been hitting Metro PCS locations around town, — one of them twice, according to police. Each time, police said, he walked into the store and pointed a black handgun at an employee, demanding money from the cash register and safe.
He was arrested after an employee at the last store he robbed on Sept. 20 at 319 E. Lake St., slipped a GPS tracker in the money he gave to Taylor, according to charges.
Police followed the tracer and arrested Taylor a short time later, they said. A search of a black Ford Explorer that he was in turned up the cash with the GPS tracker, as well as a black BB gun that resembled a semi-automatic pistol.
Two days prior, prosecutors say a man matching Taylor's description entered a store at 3541 Cedar Av. S. and pointed a gun at an employee, after waiting for her to finish her phone call. The suspect told her to "give me the money," instructing her to place the cash into a white plastic sack that he was holding.
After his arrest, Taylor reportedly confessed to the two robberies, as well as two armed stickups of a Metro PCS location at 2424 Nicollet Av., on Aug. 25 and Sept. 13.
Taylor faces three separate charges of first-degree aggravated robbery. He made his initial court appearance on Monday.
