A second man has admitted his role in a robbery this past spring, the last in a string of violent south Minneapolis attacks that left some victims injured and residents on edge.

Joseph Frederick Tucker, 21, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty Monday to a single count of attempted aggravated robbery. Under the terms of a plea deal with Hennepin County prosecutors, he was sentenced immediately to three years and eight months in prison.

Tucker's accomplice in the May 11 robbery, Michael Alex Dean Boyce, 19, of Minneapolis, pleaded guilty this past summer to first-degree aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison.

Tucker and Boyce were charged in May with first-degree aggravated robbery and third-degree assault for repeatedly punching Edward Curtis in the head, then taking his wallet as he returned home in the 2500 block of Pillsbury Avenue S. Charges said Boyce blindsided Curtis with three or four rapid punches to the head, which broke his nose and several facial bones.

Curtis, a 61-year-old ex-Marine, pulled out a pistol, for which he had a permit, and fired at the two, who fled in a car. Witnesses reported a partial license plate number, and the two were eventually arrested. Both were on parole for a robbery and a home invasion.

Police said Tucker and Boyce were likely connected to the string of attacks on pedestrians in the Uptown area that prompted a warning from Minneapolis police. The robberies were remarkably similar, occurring in the same neighborhood at the same time of night, usually targeting a pedestrian or two. Many of the victims were punched from behind and beaten even after they had surrendered their belongings.

ABBY SIMONS