Two men carjacked and robbed Dennis James, an employee of Erbert and Gerberts Subs and Clubs, at gunpoint Sunday night as he was making deliveries.
According to Minneapolis police reports, the assailants stole $15 and the delivery car — a 1991 maroon Subaru Royal station wagon owned by Erbert and Gerberts.
The robbery occurred at approximately 7:10 p.m. as James waited at a stop sign near the corner of Ninth Avenue Southeast and Ninth Street Southeast.
He had only three deliveries left when he was approached by the assailants.
James said he originally thought the men were ordinary pedestrians, even waving one of them across the intersection before the man turned a gun on him and demanded the car.
“I waved him across and all of a sudden, right there in my face,” James said. “The gentleman came and put a gun to the side of my face and demanded the vehicle.”
After James got out of the car, the two assailants got in and sped away. The incident lasted only about two minutes.
James said he felt shock as well as fear when the robbery occurred.
“I’ve done deliveries for other places before, another Erbert and Gerberts that used to be (in) downtown Minneapolis, and nothing like that ever happened,” he said.
After calling Minneapolis police from a nearby Amoco gas station, officers drove him back to the store, where he informed the restaurant owner of the carjacking.
James said he could not identify the two assailants if they would be apprehended. They were wearing dark clothes and had rags covering their faces.
The shock and uneasiness associated with the situation was not enough to keep James from continuing his job, however. After the robbery, James said he worked for an hour-and-a-half before going home.
He has resumed delivery duties for the restaurant, but without the car he now uses his bike.
“I’m not forced to do the deliveries,” James said. “I do them if it’s close enough to take my bike to. I’m brave enough to go out and get ‘bike-jacked’ now.”

Justin Costley covers police and welcomes comments at [email protected]