Teen could get 14 years in prison for robberies in Minneapolis and Edina

A Minneapolis teenager could be sentenced to 14 years in prison for a series of violent robberies in southwest Minneapolis and Edina last year.

Antonio Timberlake, 17, pleaded guilty Tuesday to 11 counts of felony robbery and assault involving six victims, two of whom were injured. He will be sentenced March 2.

"For the sake of the six robbery victims, and for the sake of the neighborhood, we are glad to have Mr. Timberlake's guilty plea," Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said. "Two of these victims suffered life-threatening stab wounds, so he is a threat to public safety."

The four robberies were similar to one committed just after midnight on March 17. An Edina man got off the Metro Transit bus at Xerxes Avenue S. and 56th Street. Timberlake, who was then 16, and a 13-year-old boy got off the bus at the same stop, caught up to the victim and beat him.

The teens took the man's satchel and a cellphone. He was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries, including a blow to the head and a stab wound to the neck, which hit an artery. In another robbery on March 28, the victim was stabbed in the chest, puncturing his right lung.

The incident that led to Timberlake's arrest occurred in the Southdale Center parking lot March 30. He and three juveniles stole a cellphone and a backpack. Timberlake, Navarr Ross, 18, and a 13-year-old were arrested after they fled to a nearby neighborhood.

Ross was convicted on two counts of aggravated robbery and was sentenced in December to 5½ years in prison. Information on juvenile suspects isn't public.

DAVID CHANEN