A man told St. Cloud police that four attackers tried to steal his backpack near a north-side ministry last Friday, an encounter that allegedly escalated to a punch to the head, a miniature baseball bat, and a knife before the group fled. Two men now face felony charges in connection with the attempted robbery, while the identities of the other two men described by the victim have not been released.
Charges Filed Against Two Men
Stearns County prosecutors charged 23-year-old Isaiah Onsomu with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to WJON. Prosecutors also charged 19-year-old Philipbert Dugbe with first-degree attempted aggravated robbery, the station reported. A case page on mncrime.com lists Onsomu's charges as attempted first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree assault with a dangerous, non-firearm weapon, matching the count structure reported elsewhere.
St. Cloud police responded to an assault call at Place of Hope Ministries, located at 511 9th Avenue North, per the station's report. The mncrime.com case page separately notes that officers were dispatched to an assault at a north St. Cloud address on October 30, 2026.
Victim Describes Being Punched, Threatened With a Bat and Knife
According to the victim's account relayed in the WJON report, Dugbe came up behind him and punched him in the head, then threatened him with a miniature baseball bat. The victim told police that four men were involved and tried to steal his backpack, and he said Onsomu pulled out a knife and threatened to kill him. The group left the area after the man threatened to call police, the outlet's report states.
The criminal charges described above are allegations contained in a criminal complaint, and mncrime.com notes that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Other Recent Stearns County Robbery Cases
This is not the only recent robbery case to surface in the area. The same station previously reported that two Twin Cities-area men faced felony charges after two separate Stearns County robberies. In one of those cases, police responded to an assault and robbery report at a Waite Park apartment in the 400 block of 7th Street South around 3:15 a.m. on July 20, and Anthony Johnson and Ethan Weckman were charged with aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery after a watch and replica handgun were taken, according to the earlier report.
In a separate incident described in that same coverage, a man reported that two men robbed him of his backpack in the 1700 block of 7th Street South on August 23. Brooklyn Park police found the suspects' car two days later and arrested Johnson and Weckman, the report said. Readers can look up adult criminal cases filed by the Stearns County Attorney's Office through the Stearns County Criminal Case Information Search.
