Police say Rochester Robbery Suspects Linked to Shootings
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Police say two suspects arrested on charges stemming from a robbery in Rochester last weekend are also considered suspects in the rolling gun battle that took place across sections of northwest Rochester Tuesday evening.
Police Captain John Sherwin says 19-year-old Thaddeus Merritt and a 17-year-old male are being held on charges of aiding an offender for their alleged involvement in an attack on a 16-year-old boy who was robbed of a Louis Vuitton purse and a new iPhone X early Sunday. Sherwin says he anticipates there will be one or more additional arrests in that case, which is separate from the shootings.
He also notes Merritt was the person who was detained by officers Tuesday night in the vicinity of Lincolnshire Park after one of the vehicles involved in the multiple shootings Tuesday evening was found in the park and witnesses saw four black males fleeing on foot. Captain Sherwin says Merritt and teenager were arrested yesterday in the robbery case after police misled Merritt by telling him he could pick up the blue Audi and the pair showed up to retrieve the vehicle from the police impound lot.
Investigators earlier say a handgun was found in the car after the shootings, but since then a more thorough search has been conducted and Sherwin says two addition handguns were discovered in the vehicle. The investigation into the shootings is ongoing and additional arrests are expected.