Charges: St. Paul man robbed, attacked victim with chainsaw

A St. Paul man with a history of felony convictions is now charged with robbing and using a chainsaw to attack a man on Wednesday.

Antonio Devell Johnson, 34, is charged with one count of first-degree aggravated robbery, one count of second-degree assault and one count of threats of violence.

Officers from St. Paul were called to the area of Exchange Street West and St. Peter Street on May 1, according to a criminal complaint.

At the scene, law enforcement spoke with the victim, who said before the incident happened, a coworker told him a man had stolen something from his truck. The victim said he noticed his phone was gone before spotting a man who matched the description his coworker had given him.

The complaint states that the victim went up to Johnson and asked for his stuff back. Johnson eventually charged the victim and hit him several times before grabbing a battery-charged chainsaw that was running and hitting the victim with it.

The victim’s coworkers were able to get Johnson off the victim before Johnson ran from the scene, according to law enforcement.

The next day, officers stopped Johnson after they spotted him wearing the same clothes from the day before and a search of Johnson uncovered the victim’s phone.

Johnson has five previous felony convictions and recieved a downward dispositional departure on a third-degree burglary in February, according to court records.

Johnson is due in court for an omnibus hearing on May 23 at 9 a.m.