BEMIDJI -- A suspect has been arrested for his involvement in a June 22 robbery at the Ridgeway Apartments in Bemidji, according to Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin.
At approximately 2 a.m. on Wednesday, June 23, Bemidji police officers and Beltrami County Sheriff’s deputies initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle near 12th Street Northwest and Irvine Avenue. Robert Needham Jr., 24, of Bemidji, was located inside the vehicle and was arrested without incident for his involvement in the June 22 incident at 2800 Ridgeway Avenue, the release said.
On June 22, at approximately 1 a.m. the Bemidji Police Department responded to the area of 2800 Ridgeway Avenue after a gunshot was reported, according to the release. Callers reported seeing a silver SUV leaving the scene. A Bemidji police officer in the area spotted a vehicle matching that description and initiated a traffic stop.
The driver of the SUV stated he was in the second-floor hallway of the 2800 Ridgeway Apartment complex when a Native American male approached him and demanded money. When the victim told this male "No," the suspect pulled out a handgun and fired a round at him, the release said.
The victim fled the building and stated that the suspect then ran into one of the second-floor apartments.
ADVERTISEMENT
A high-risk search warrant was executed with the assistance of the Headwaters SWAT team after the officers identified which apartment the suspect had entered. Officers located a female related to the apartment who stated that the suspect, identified as Needham, jumped out the second-story apartment window prior to officers’ arrival.
Police were searching for Needham and seeking the public's help in locating him until his arrest on Wednesday.
