Man Charged in Teen Cell Phone Robbery

ST. CLOUD -- A St. Cloud man is charged with simple robbery after a 16-year-old told police he was robbed of his cell phone last week.

According to the complaint filed in Stearns County District Court, the boy was in River Bluff Park Thursday when a car pulled up directly in front of him and a man got out and said the boy stole a cell phone from his friend. The man pushed the boy to the ground at which time a group of men got out of the back seat and allegedly began punching the teen.

The men allegedly demanded the boy give up his cell phone but he refused.

Records show the driver then pulled out a knife and demanded the boy's belongings. The teen said he was robbed of his phone, his watch, and his earbuds.

The boy told police he recognized one of the men as a summer school classmate.

Officers arrested 18-year-old Zakarie Farah Hassan on a charge of simple robbery.

It's unclear if any of the other men have been identified or face charges in the crime.