7 Juveniles, 2 Adults Held in Attack That Started on Metro Bus

Nine people have been arrested in an attack on a 15-year-old boy who was dragged from a Metro Transit bus, beaten and robbed before he was able to flee and get help.

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Three charges were filed Monday against Markee L. Colquitte, 18, of Minneapolis.

Colquitte was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery, kidnapping and third-degree riot.

Some of the suspects have been identified as members of the Tre-Six Vice Lords street gang, said Mike Martin, regional commander of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force.

That relatively small gang, made up of mostly juveniles and young adults, is suspected of committing robberies and assaults and trafficking in crack cocaine and marijuana in north Minneapolis, Martin said.

According to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Hennepin County District Court, the victim boarded the bus at 7th St. and Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Six to 10 young males in the back of the bus surrounded him and taunted him, making repeated references to his race (the victim is white, the suspects black). When the bus stopped at 34th and Fremont, they grabbed him and pulled him off, the complaint said. They punched and kicked the victim, breaking his wallet chain and fleeing with the wallet, which contained $17.

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