Police Arrest Suspect In Downtown Armed Robbery Incident

A suspect is in custody in connection with charged stemming from an armed robbery incident that occurred on a downtown Duluth sidewalk.

On Wednesday, August 13th, 2014 at 11:02 PM Duluth Police were called to the intersection of Lake Avenue & 4th Street for an armed robbery.

Initial investigation revealed that two suspects approached a 25 year old male victim. One of the suspects had a handgun out, the second suspect demanded the victim empty his pockets and give him the items. The suspects then ran eastbound from the area. Officers located a person matching the description of the suspect with the handgun at 2nd Avenue East & 3rd Street. He was identified as Justin Dillard Thomas, a 24 year old male resident of Duluth. After a long search of the areas involved, officers were not able to locate a handgun.

Justin Thomas was arrested for 1st Degree Aggravated Robbery, 2nd Degree Assault, Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Possession of a Stolen Firearm and brought to the Saint Louis County Jail.

On Thursday, August 14th, 2014 Investigators returned to the scene for a daylight search of the area and located a handgun believed to have been used in the armed robbery in the grass behind a residence in the #10 block of East 5th Street. The gun was determined to have been stolen in a vehicle prowl that occurred in Proctor in April.

If anyone has any information about this incident they are asked to call 911. This is an active investigation; no further information is available at this time.