A Maple Grove man robbed another man at gunpoint during a planned iPhone sale in Brooklyn Park, taking the victim’s phone, cash and vehicle before fleeing with an accomplice, according to charges.

Nicholas Sarkor Harris Jr., 22, faces charges of aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery and aiding and abetting first-degree carjacking. The charges were filed Friday, August 28 in Hennepin County District Court.

According to the complaint, officers from the Brooklyn Park Police Department responded to a report of a robbery with a firearm on August 11 in Brooklyn Park. The victim told officers he had arranged to meet a man he had arranged to buy the phone from to purchase an iPhone. When the victim arrived, the seller remained in his vehicle while another individual got out and pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the victim’s chest.

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At the same time, the seller, still seated in his vehicle, also pointed what appeared to be a firearm at the victim. The two men then took the victim’s iPhone, $2,800 in cash and his vehicle without permission. Both suspects drove away, one in the vehicle they arrived in and the other in the victim’s vehicle.

The victim later participated in a photo lineup and identified both individuals who had pointed firearms at him and taken his property. He identified Nicholas Sarkor Harris Jr. and another man as the two people involved in the robbery and carjacking. The state requested that the complaint issue via warrant.

About This Charge

Minnesota distinguishes simple robbery (§ 609.24, up to 10 years) from aggravated robbery (§ 609.245), where a dangerous weapon or bodily harm is alleged. First-degree aggravated robbery carries up to 20 years; second-degree up to 15. Carjacking is charged under § 609.247.

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Jurisdictional Context

Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.