A St. Anthony man confronted a deaf and nonverbal man near the east side YMCA, accused him of stealing his belongings and took his bicycle while armed with a pistol and a knife, prosecutors say.
David Earl Peguse, 46, faces a charge of first-degree aggravated robbery, according to a complaint filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court.
According to the complaint, Saint Paul officers were flagged down at about 12:05 a.m. on August 10 near Minnehaha Avenue East and Preble Street by the victim, who communicated by writing. The victim reported that about 30 minutes earlier, while walking his brown Schwinn bicycle near the east side YMCA, a Black male and a Native woman confronted him.
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The male tried to take his bicycle, struck him on the left side of his ear and pulled out a pistol from his waistband while also carrying a knife in his pocket. The male accused the victim of stealing his belongings and told him he had 30 minutes to return them. The victim denied having the man’s property and described the suspect as a Black male, 5’8“, short hair or bald, wearing a green shirt and black pants. Officers noted a fresh swollen purple welt behind the victim’s left ear.
Officers soon found a man matching the description, later identified as David Earl Peguse, walking west on Phalen Boulevard with a woman and a brown Schwinn bicycle. Peguse was handcuffed and searched. Police found a small Ziplock baggie with a white crystal substance in his left pants pocket, a .177 caliber Daisy BB gun in his black zippered bag, another baggie with a white crystal substance in his backpack and an orange and black fixed blade knife in his pants pocket.
Peguse spoke to officers and said that six months earlier, he and others had returned to their sleeping area on the south side of Phalen Boulevard to find their belongings and tent gone. He said they found the victim in their tent on the other side of Phalen Boulevard and took the tent back.
On the day of the robbery, Peguse said he returned from the store to find his tent missing again and was told the victim had it. He said he found the victim and another man under the Arcade bridge, and that both pulled out folding pocketknives and had his milk crate and food.
Peguse admitted pulling out a BB gun in self-defense and said the victim left his bicycle as collateral while he was supposed to retrieve Peguse’s belongings. Peguse denied hitting the victim and claimed the BB gun did not work. He also admitted the white crystal substance was methamphetamine and said it was less than a gram.
The woman with Peguse told officers she had been in a romantic relationship with him for five months and denied being in the YMCA parking lot. She said Peguse did not have a bicycle when she first met up with him that night but later returned with one after an interaction with a man near the Arcade Street bridge. He is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, August 11.
Peguse was scheduled to appear in Ramsey County court on August 11, 2026.
About This Charge
Minnesota distinguishes simple robbery (§ 609.24, up to 10 years) from aggravated robbery (§ 609.245), where a weapon or great bodily harm is alleged. First-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 20 years; second-degree up to 15. Carjacking is charged under § 609.247.
Related MN CRIME Coverage
Saint Paul Man Charged in Violent Red-Light Carjacking • 3 Indicted in Armed Robbery Spree Near State Fair • 2 Charged After Man Shot in Face During Saint Paul Robbery
Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
