3rd man caught, all accused of gas station holdups that prompted search near State Fair, phone alert

A manhunt led law enforcement late Wednesday morning to a Twin Cities suburb, where the last of three men was captured on charges of carrying out a burst of armed gas station robberies that prompted a police pursuit near the State Fairgrounds along with an emergency alert to thousands of cellphones over the weekend.

Kemonie Terry Hurd, 18, of St. Paul, was charged Wednesday in District Court with three counts of first-degree robbery and one count of auto theft in connection with Sunday’s holdups. Hurd remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail ahead of a court appearance on Sept. 17.

Kenneth Toy Spight, 21, also of St. Paul, was charged with one count of first-degree robbery. Spight is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail and is due on court on Sept. 11.

The Minnesota Star Tribune has contacted their attorneys for responses to the allegations.

An arrest warrant was issued for Dylan Charles Jungwirth, 21, of White Bear Lake, who is charged with four counts of first-degree robbery.

Sheriff’s deputies tracked down Jungwirth shortly after 11 a.m. Wednesday at a home in the 7200 block of Main Street in Centerville, the Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies entered with permission from others in the residence and found Jungwirth hiding under a stairwell, said Sheriff’s Office spokesman Steve Linders. Jungwirth surrendered peacefully, Linders said.

“These three suspects terrorized the clerks and struck fear into our communities,” read a statement from Sheriff Bob Fletcher.

Sunday’s alert lit up phone screens across Ramsey County as the robberies led to a police chase near the State Fairgrounds.

The robberies occurred at the Speedway at 2295 Rice St. in Roseville, and BP stations at 300 Little Canada Road in Little Canada and 3110 Cleveland Av. in Roseville.

State Fair Police asked that the alert be sent to Ramsey County residents before noon Sunday. The fair starts Thursday.

According to the charges:

Deputies went to the BP in Little Canada shortly after 8:30 a.m. and learned that two men robbed the business. Jungwirth hopped the counter, put a gun to the back of the clerk’s head, and fled with cash and cigarettes.

A woman who lives nearby told deputies she was suspicious of a blue car parked in front of her house around the time of the BP holdup in Little Canada and took photos of the vehicle. She said she saw two men dressed in all black run to the car and speed away. Surveillance video from that robbery captured what appeared to be that car and the two men, Jungwirth and Hurd.

Shortly after 9 a.m., officers heard from a gas station owner that his BP in Roseville had been robbed. The officers arrived to find an employee with a bloodied head and injured eye. The officers went inside and saw merchandise thrown about in the entry and shelves tipped over.

The employee said Jungwirth pulled out a handgun and demanded money. As the man was handing over the money, the gunman wanted the employee’s wallet. The man refused and fought with the Jungwirth for the weapon. Hurd intervened, and both suspects hit the employee in the head.

The struggle spilled into the parking lot before the robbers got in the blue car and drove off. The owner soon arrived and determined $386 had been stolen.

Officers checking the area nearby saw the car stopped near a power pole. A person walking nearby said he saw three men exit the vehicle and run into the woods.

Law enforcement learned the car had been stolen Saturday in Robbinsdale while the engine was running. Surveillance video showed Jungwirth stealing the car.

An officer on the perimeter of the search area saw men resembling Jungwirth and Hurd sitting on a retaining wall in the 800 block of Tatum Street before getting in a rideshare vehicle and leaving.

Officers searched a railyard in the 1700 block of Pierce Butler Route, saw Spight and flushed him from a hiding spot. Spight fled on food but was soon captured. He had $169 with him and a black facemask. His phone had 12 unread text messages from Hurd.

After initial denials of involvement, Spight told investigators he drove Jungwirth to the Speedway, left after the robbery and they picked up Hurd at a park.