Man pistol whipped during afternoon robbery in St. Cloud, police say

Authorities say a man was pistol whipped during a robbery Thursday afternoon in St. Cloud.

The city's police department said the incident occurred at about 4:20 p.m., near the intersection of 14th St. S and 6th Ave. S. When officers arrived to the scene the victim — an adult male — was "under emotional duress" and had blood flowing from his mouth, according to criminal charges filed Friday against the suspects.

The victim said he'd come to the area with $3,400 in cash to buy drugs, the charges state, but at one point the money fell out of his jacket. He picked it up and put it back in the jacket, but that's when one of the suspects, 32-year-old Antonio Harris, approached and demanded the cash, the charges state.

The victim refused so Harris assaulted him with a handgun, the charges allege. (Police said the victim was hit with the weapon, and that the gun was not fired during the incident.) That's when the second suspect, 24-year-old Tygir Winfield, approached and also assaulted the man while in possession of a handgun, according to the criminal complaints.

They took the cash, then both left the scene in a GMC Yukon, with the victim able to get investigators the license plate number, the charges state. Police looked up vehicle records, and found the car and both men at the residence listed, according to the charges. They had a combined $2,700 in cash on them, authorities say.

Both Harris and Winfield are charged with aiding and abetting aggravated robbery in the first degree. Each made an initial court appearance Friday morning. Harris' omnibus hearing is scheduled for Dec. 3, while Winfield's is set for Dec. 16.