Man pleads guilty to armed robbery of Twin Cities businesses

A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Tuesday to seven violent armed robberies of Twin Cities businesses last year.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said 40-year-old Derrick Lee Spillman robbed three businesses — a Holiday gas station and two liquor stores — on July 28, 2020. Two days later, he then robbed two other Holiday gas stations, a Speedway gas station and a Subway.

Prosecutors say Spillman pointed guns at the employees during the robberies, sometimes physically assaulting them while demanding money from the cash registers.

Spillman entered guilty pleas to seven counts of Hobbs Act robbery and one count of brandishing a firearm.