Bloomington Man Charged with Southdale Robbery

The Hennepin County Attorney's office has filed charges against a Bloomington man they say has admitted to several armed robberies——in December.

Tony Antoinne Benjamin, 34, of Bloomington, was charged today with robbing three different women in Edina and Bloomington late last year. He faces one kidnapping and three aggravated robbery charges for the crimes.

Benjamin was previously charged with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery for a similar crime in Savage and is being held in Scott County Jail on $600,000 bail.

Police finally released details of their investigation of the incident, which occurred in the parking lot near on Dec. 6. Police report Benjamin approached a female victim from behind as she was getting into her car and stated, "I have a gun, get in your car, this is a robbery."

Investigators believe Benjamin took the woman's purse by force, bound her hands with zip ties and covered her with a blanket. The woman told police he drove to a nearby ATM and asked for her PIN to obtain cash, but when she was unable to remember it, he made her call her husband for assistance. After attempts to get cash from the ATM proved unsuccessful, the woman told police, Benjamin drove her back to the mall, took her purse and its contents and told her to not contact police or he would come to her residence and shoot her.

Edina Police report they traveled to Scott County Jail to speak with Benjamin, who reportedly told them he didn't have an actual firearm during any of the incidents but, rather, wielded a piece of metal shaped like a handgun.