Charges: 2 masked men among 3 who ambushed ATM technician in Edina, fled with $112K

Two masked Texans dressed in all black and a third suspect ambushed a man servicing an ATM in Edina and robbed the machine of more than $110,000, according to charges.

Christopher J. Harris, 30, and Rajoun D. Johnson, 29, both of Houston, were arrested and charged in Hennepin County District Court this week with simple robbery in connection with the heist about 3:30 p.m. Friday at the U.S. Bank in the 50th & France retail district. Harris also was charged with two counts of fleeing police.

Video imagery from a nearby business revealed a third unidentified person involved in the robbery, the charges read.

Harris and Johnson were captured by police in separate locations later Friday and jailed in lieu of $120,000 bail. Harris has posted bond, while Johnson remains in custody as of late Wednesday morning in lieu of $75,000 bail. Both are due back in court on Nov. 3. Their attorney declined in a phone call to respond to the allegations.

According to the criminal complaints and other court documents:

A technician who was providing maintenance to the ATM told police that three men pulled a Subaru into the ATM drive-thru, and two masked men in all-black clothing "aggressively approached" him, the charges read.

The technician put his hands in the air and stepped back as the men grabbed four cartridges of cash totaling $112,920.

Police spotted the Subaru heading west on W. 50th Street near Sunnyslope Road later that afternoon. Harris stopped the vehicle and ran east on 50th but was quickly apprehended by officers.

About the same time Friday, an officer spotted a Jeep that police believed was connected to the robbery. The Jeep sped off on westbound 50th and entered northbound Hwy. 100. A state trooper was alerted to items being thrown from the Jeep and recovered black clothing along the shoulder of the ramp from northbound Hwy. 100 to eastbound Interstate 394.

Edina police caught up to the Jeep shortly before 6:30 p.m. at a Speedway gas station on W. 66th Street near Interstate 35W and arrested Johnson there. Inside the vehicle was a duffle bag with "a large quantity of cash," one of the complaints read.

Johnson's criminal history in Texas includes a conviction for the shooting in Houston of an off-duty Harris County deputy constable in October 2016 while demanding money from his victim. Johnson was sentenced to a three-year term.