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MINNEAPOLIS MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO ARMED ROBBERIES OF TWO GAS STATIONS AND A HOTEL
A Minneapolis man has pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of two Speedway gas stations and a Super 8 Hotel, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Charles J. Kovats.
Keanu Dewone Ross, 30, entered a Speedway gas station in Columbia Heights on February 4, 2020, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register and the safe. Ross stole $140 in cash, various tobacco products, and several lottery tickets, before fleeing the scene in a waiting vehicle parked several blocks away with his co-defendant, Antoinette Deniece Mae Dobyne, 30.
On February 12, 2020, Ross entered a Speedway in Fridley, pulled what appeared to be a firearm, and demanded cash from the register. Ross ordered the employee to the ground and kicked the employee in the face. Ross left the store with more than $700 in cash, tobacco products, and lottery tickets. Surveillance camera footage showed Ross and Dobyne cashing some of the stolen lottery tickets at two different gas stations.
According to court documents, on February 14, 2020, Ross and another man were driven to the area of the Super 8 Hotel in Brooklyn Center by Dobyne in her SUV. The men entered the hotel and ordered a hotel employee to the ground at gunpoint. Ross and the other man took the employee’s cell phone and car keys, and over $550 cash from the business. The men then told the employee to run from the scene. As the employee fled on foot, he heard multiple gunshots. Officers recovered a discharged cartridge casing at the scene of the robbery.
Ross pleaded guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge David S. Doty to three counts of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. On October 25, 2021, Dobyne pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery. Sentencing hearings for the defendants will be scheduled at a later date.
This case was prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the violent crime reduction efforts. Ross pleaded guilty to the armed robberies and is facing charges. His current status is pending sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Brooklyn Center Police Department, the Columbia Heights Police Department, and the Fridley Police Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Bejar is prosecuting the case.
Mandatory Facts:
1. Defendant Name: Keanu Dewone Ross
2. Exact Criminal Charges: three counts of aiding and abetting interference with commerce by robbery and one count of using, carrying and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence
3. City and State: Minneapolis, Minnesota
4. Exact Date: February 4, 2020, and February 12, 2020, and February 14, 2020
5. Sentence or Outcome: pending sentencing
6. Dollar Amounts: $140, $700, and $550
Key Facts
- State: Minnesota
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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