Two masked men carjacked an SUV in a south Minneapolis neighborhood in a late-night ambush that saw a couple being pistol-whipped and one of the victims forced to the ground with a gun aimed at the back of his head, according to charges.
Havion Eddie Amaru Holmes, 22, of Minneapolis, was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court with first-degree carjacking, illegal firearm possession and second-degree assault in connection with the incident about 3:15 a.m. Saturday in the 3500 block of Aldrich Avenue S.
Holmes, arrested moments later after the SUV crashed, remains jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail ahead of a court appearance on Sept. 23. A message was left Tuesday afternoon with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
Holmes’ accomplice was still at large as of late Tuesday afternoon, according to the criminal complaint.
Court records show that Holmes has convictions in Minnesota in recent years for third-degree assault and burglary.
The 47-year-old driver told the Star Tribune that she and her boyfriend had been out on a date and talking about their plans for the next day when “there was a guy right there at the window. He said, ‘Open the [expletive] window!’ ”
As the terrorizing experience unfolded, her boyfriend said to her as he was held captive on the ground, “’Just let him take the car,’” said the woman, whose identity is being withheld from this story out of concern for her safety.
The suspects drove off with the woman’s SUV and her cellphone still in the vehicle, she said. She used her boyfriend’s cellphone to call 911 just before it died, she said.
