Men From Kingfield, Lyndale Charged in Violent Uptown Robbery

Charges were brought against two South Minneapolis men for a recent beating and robbery in Uptown.

Joseph Frederick Tucker, 21, of Kingfield, and Michael Alex Dean Boyce, 19, of Lyndale, are charged with a May 10 assault and robbery of a man on the 2500 block of Pillsbury Avenue South. Both had been on parole, one for a previous robbery, the other for a burglary. If convicted, the new charges could bring a maximum jail sentence of up to 25 years each.

According to the criminal complaint, the victim, age 61, had just parked his car when he was reportedly blindsided by three or four rapid punches to the face. The beating continued as the man's pockets were searched. In fear of his life, the victim pulled his legally permitted gun and fired three shots, causing the suspects to flee by car.

Witnesses who heard the gunshots recorded the license plate of the people they believed responsible for the beating. Police traced the registration to Boyce's mother. Police say Boyce and Tucker fit the descriptions of suspects in other area robberies and that both were identified in multiple line-ups. Police expect further charges to be filed against the pair in the next few days.

"These incidents are not at all the norm here, and as such, the officers assigned to this precinct took these robberies personally and showed great proactive initiative in trying to bring forth leads to solve these cases," Inspector Matt Clark, commander of the Fifth Precinct, wrote in a statement.

Boyce is currently on parole for a robbery committed in Hennepin County in 2009.  Tucker is on parole for a burglary in Redwood County in 2008, in which Boyce was also implicated, although he was treated as a minor.

Both suspects are in Hennepin County Jail on $250,000 bail. Their first court hearing is June 22. Minneapolis police and investigators haven't released their booking photos.