A Saint Paul man pistol-whipped a man he accused of being a “snitch” outside a Maplewood gas station, fired a shot at him and took his bags before running off with two other men, prosecutors say.
Jalen Davon Howard, 24, faces six felony charges: two counts of first-degree aggravated robbery, two counts of tampering with a witness, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence.
According to the complaint, Maplewood police responded to a report of shots fired at the Holiday gas station in Maplewood at about 10:39 p.m. on September 17. While officers searched the area, the victim called 911 from his home in Saint Paul, where an officer found him bleeding from a gash on his head.
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The victim told police he had been at the gas station watching a football game. At about 10:30 p.m., he said, he walked out the front doors and Howard walked up to him wearing a grey hoodie and accused him of being a “snitch.” The complaint says Howard was apparently referring to an earlier case the victim had reported to police.
Howard pulled him to the north side of the building, kept calling him a snitch, then pulled a black Glock-style handgun from his waistband, pointed it at him and threatened to kill him, the victim said.
The victim said two other men then walked around the east side of the carwash, one of them carrying a black AR-style rifle. Howard pistol-whipped the victim on the left cheek, leaving a deep, bleeding gash. The man with the rifle tried to hit him with it but missed, and also threatened to shoot him and yelled at him to put his hands up, the victim said.
According to the complaint, Howard then pointed the pistol at the victim and fired a shot at him but missed. Howard and the man with the rifle grabbed items from him, including a red, white and black Nike backpack, a black cross-body computer bag and a folding knife, and all three men ran east toward nearby townhomes. The victim went home and called 911, and he was later taken to Regions Hospital for his injuries.
Two employees told police they heard gunfire and locked the doors, and neither let the victim back in when he came to the door with an injury to his face. Police found a discharged 9mm casing and blood spatter between the carwash and the store.
Investigators tracked Howard’s phone to his apartment near the gas station on the morning of September 23. Officers watching the building saw him get into a car with three other people and stopped it on Highway 61, where he was taken into custody. Police found .22-caliber ammunition, cocaine and Howard’s phone in the car, the complaint says. Howard declined a formal interview.
About This Charge
Minnesota distinguishes simple robbery (§ 609.24, up to 10 years) from aggravated robbery (§ 609.245), which the state may charge on either of two independent grounds: being armed with a dangerous weapon (real, simulated or implied), or inflicting bodily harm, with no weapon required. 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
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.
