Duluth man charged in gas station armed robbery

DULUTH, MN. (Northern News Now) - A Duluth man has been charged after confessing to robbing a gas station.

Sean Lakota Perrin, 30, of Duluth has been charged with first-degree aggravated robbery.

On May 4, 2023, just before 9 p.m., Duluth Police responded to a Speedway gas station at 1002 88th Avenue West in Duluth for a report of an armed robbery.

According to police, it was reported a man armed with a firearm had just entered the store and robbed the clerk at gunpoint.

The clerk stated he was working behind the counter when an unknown man, now identified as Perrin, wearing a blue Adidas hooded sweatshirt entered the store with his hood up.

Perrin walked down an aisle and then walked back toward the counter, pulled out what appeared to be a black handgun with his right hand, and then said, “You have ten seconds to give me everything in the registers.”

It is stated the clerk then used a key to open the register and handed him what he estimated to be about $160 in cash.

Perrin then left out the same door he had entered with the cash.

Officers were able to watch extensive security footage throughout the store, which showed many views of what the clerk had described.

According to court documents, police believed they recognized the suspect to be Perrin from previous contacts with law enforcement.

However, police were unable to locate Perrin nearby.

He also remains the prime suspect in a previous robbery of the same store a month prior.

The following day, investigators from the DPD created a photo lineup and showed it to the clerk.

At that time, he selected Perrin as the person who committed the robbery, although he did begin to waiver his confidence.

Police say a few days later they began to receive tips identifying the robber.

The tipsters confirmed that Perrin was the armed robber.

In addition, they confirmed Perrin had admitted that he “did something stupid” and then admitted to robbing the gas station with a gun.

On May 19, 2023, officers located and arrested Perrin.

After his Miranda warning, he confessed saying, “Yes, that was me in that robbery, in the store with the blue sweatshirt, yes that was me, I apologize.”

Perrin continued to express remorse and told investigators that the firearm was not a real firearm.

Instead, he had modified a crossbow handle to look like a pistol.

Perrin is looking at up to 20 years in prison for the incident.

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