Rochester Teen & Plainview Teen Arrested & Charged for Gunpoint Robbery

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- Two teenage men are facing charges for a gunpoint robbery that occurred in Rochester earlier this month. 

Read More: Rochester Armed Robbery Suspect Arrested in Plainview 

That’s according to court documents filed in Olmsted Court Thursday morning. Rochester police also issued a statement Thursday regarding the alleged robbery and subsequent arrest.

As part of the investigation, members of a SWAT Team, Rochester Police Department and the Plainview Police department executed a pair of search warrants in Plainview and a search warrant in Rochester. 

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18-Year-Old & 19-Year-Old Charged in Rochester Gunpoint Robbery

Rochester police identified the suspects as 18-year-old Aizeah Martinez of Plainview and 19-year-old Nicklas Jordan Cheng of Rochester. 

Court documents say the robbery occurred between the night of December 2 and the morning of December 3. There are three victims in the case, all of whom are described as young males. 

The young males told police they had arranged to meet Martinez and Cheng, who were acquaintances, to sell them clothing. They arrived at an agreed upon meeting location, which was in the 2600 block of 4th Ave NE, for the sale in a vehicle when Martinez and Cheng arrived on foot. 

Martinez and Cheng entered the rear of the victims vehicle, flanking both sides of one of the victims.

The teens then drew pistols and demanded the victim in the back seat turn over the clothing for free, the charges say. 

Martinez and Cheng also demanded the victim’s phones and shoes so they could not flee and could not call police, the complaints say. After obtaining the clothing, phones and shoes,  Martinez and Cheng got out of the vehicle. 

Martinez then threatened to kill the victims if they contacted law enforcement, according to court documents. Rochester police estimate the value of the stolen items at more than $5,000. 

During the search of Martinez’s home in Plainview, Investigators found a .22 caliber pistol and clothing that matched the description of the items the victims reported stolen, according to the charges. 

Cheng is charged with three counts of aiding and abetting first-degree robbery. Martinez is facing three counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of witness tampering. 

Cheng's conditional bail was set at $50,000 following his first court appearance. Martinez is scheduled to make his first appearance Thursday afternoon.