By Elizabeth Mohr
St. Paul Pioneer Press
FOREST LAKE, Minn. — Forest Lake police used a stun gun to take a man into custody over the weekend after he reportedly robbed six people at gunpoint.
Nicholas Timothy Sample, 22, was arrested and booked late Saturday night on suspicion of aggravated robbery, terroristic threats, assault, disorderly conduct, theft and fleeing police.
Officers didn’t find out until after Sample was arrested that the gun he used was a replica handgun.
According to Forest Lake police, Sample allegedly stole the Airsoft pistol, which shoots plastic pellets, from Walmart and walked to the store’s parking lot where he tried to rob two groups of people.
He first approached a group of females who were walking toward the store entrance. He pointed the gun at them and said, “Ladies, stay where you are,” before demanding money, according to a police report. The females ran into the store and reported the incident.
Sample then reportedly approached a second group, two males and a female, who were sitting in a car waiting for a friend to get off work, the report said.
Sample ordered the female out of the car and hit her with the gun when she argued, she told police. Eventually, all three victims ran to the store and called police.
When officers arrived, they located Sample. He ran toward McDonald’s, which is north of Walmart. Police chased him and watched him struggle through a drainage ditch and climb up the other side of the culvert.
Sample was ordered to stop several times before one of the pursuing officers warned him a stun gun would be used, Police Chief Rick Peterson said, referring to the police report.
Because he refused to stop, “We needed to use a Taser to gain compliance,” Peterson said, noting that officers didn’t know if Sample was still carrying the gun or that it was a replica weapon.
After Sample was apprehended, officers found the gun in the drainage ditch.
Sample remains at the Washington County Jail, pending formal charges.
His criminal record includes convictions for underage consumption, DWI, theft and receiving stolen property.
Copyright 2011 St. Paul Pioneer Press