A 33-year-old man was charged Friday after he allegedly robbed an employee of a Minneapolis popcorn shop at knifepoint.

Elliott Pierson, of Minneapolis, was charged by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office with aggravated robbery in connection to a robbery of Tom's Popcorn Shop, located on Cedar Avenue near E. 47th Street.

According to the criminal complaint, on Jan. 7, a shop employee told police that a man came into the store, pulled out a knife and demanded money. The man allegedly put the knife to the female employee's side before emptying out the cash register and taking money from the back of the store.

When the suspect went to the back, the employee ran out the store and called police from a nearby shop.

Authorities distributed an image of the suspect from the popcorn store's surveillance video. And last week, a Stillwater prison guard reported that she recognized the suspect from his time at prison.

Pierson was being held at the Hennepin County jail.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495; Twitter: @stribnorfleet