Minneapolis Man Pleads Guilty to Robbing a St. Louis Park Bank

April 27, 2010 - A 55-year-old Minneapolis man pleaded guilty today in federal court to robbing a St. Louis Park TCF bank on January 21, 2010. Appearing before United States District Court Judge Joan N. Ericksen in Minneapolis, Ananias Taylor, Jr., pled guilty to one count of bank robbery. He was indicted on February 17, 2010.

In his plea agreement, Taylor admitted taking $2,750 from the St. Louis Park bank. According to a Federal Bureau of Investigation affidavit filed with the court regarding the St. Louis Park incident, the bank was robbed at 12:30 p.m. on January 21 by a lone man, later identified as Taylor. The man entered the bank, approached a teller, and asked, “What do you do when you get robbed?” Before the teller could reply, the man handed over a white plastic bag with orders to “Put the money in the bag. No GPS. No dye packs.” He then instructed another teller to assist, after which he showed both tellers what they believed to be a black handgun in the waistband of his pants. The tellers promptly complied with the man’s instructions by filling the plastic bag with cash.

At approximately the same time, one of three customers in the bank attempted to leave, leading the robber to grab her arm and say, “You are not going anywhere.” Nonetheless, the customer pulled free, ran to the adjacent Cub Foods store, and reported the robbery. Meanwhile, the robber grabbed the money bag from one of the bank tellers, causing the bag to rip open. Much of the money fell to the floor, although the robber still managed to rush from the premises with the bag and some money.

During the immediate investigation into the robbery, police tracked the robber to a St. Louis Park residence, approximately three blocks from the bank. With the aid of a police dog, officers performed a search of the garage at that residence. There, they found Taylor and a replica handgun. Outside the garage, in the snow, they recovered a bag containing cash. Taylor was immediately arrested and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment to injuries he sustained during the dog-assisted apprehension.

While pleading guilty to the St. Louis Park bank robbery, Taylor also admitted robbing a Bloomington TCF bank on December 8, 2009. During that robbery, he took approximately $2,311 in cash.

For his crime, Taylor faces a potential maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. Judge Ericksen will determine his sentence at a future date, yet to be scheduled.

This case is the result of an investigation by the St. Louis Park Police Department, the FBI, and the Bloomington Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly A. Svendsen.