Charges filed in Columbia Heights home invasion, suspect still at large
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A 25-year-old Robbinsdale, Minnesota man has been charged in a Columbia Heights home invasion that happened in the middle of the day last Friday while five people were home.
The Anoka County charged Mykell Burton Tuesday with two counts of first-degree burglary and one count each of first-degree aggravated robbery and illegally possessing a firearm.
According to the charges, on Dec. 27 at 1:36 p.m., police officers responded to a report of a home invasion at a house on the 400 block of 42nd Avenue Northeast.
One of the victims told police he answered the door for a man, who asked for directions and then pulled out a rusty, silver pistol. The victim tried to close the door, but the intruder pushed the door open and grabbed him by the neck.
The intruder said, “Don’t move or I’ll shoot you.” He then hit the victim with the pistol and made him go upstairs.
The intruder went into multiple rooms searching for money. He went into one room where another victim was napping and pointed the gun at her, asking where the money was.
A third victim reported he was in an upstairs bedroom when he heard rumbling and wrestling. Another victim, a 17-year-old child, ran into the room and said the first victim “was gonna get shot.” The third victim opened the door and saw the intruder with the gun, who then pointed it at the two and asked them where the money was.
Both victims jumped out of a second story window to escape the intruder.
The fifth victim in the house reported hearing a bunch of banging and wrestling. She told police she heard the first victim yell, “Don’t shoot me, but don’t shoot me bro!” She also heard the intruder keep yelling, “Where’s the money?”
The intruder eventually made off with at least $380 and seven grams of marijuana.
During their investigation, officers found a rusty, silver pistol hidden in a wooden tube against the fence of a house two blocks away. The pistol had a round in the chamber and a round in the magazine. Officers also found a cell phone. It was unlocked and the Facebook and Gmail accounts linked to the phone were associated with Burton.
Officers found a photo of Burton, which matched the description of a suspect who an officer saw leaving the house when they initially arrived. The victims also identified Burton as the intruder during a photo lineup.
Burton is not in custody. The attorney’s office has requested a warrant for his arrest because he is considered a “serious risk to public safety.”
Burton has previous felony convictions for burglary and assault.