Police: Two men rob woman with police baton
Jul. 14—EAU CLAIRE — A woman was robbed of her backpack near an Eau Claire bridge by two men armed with what looked like a police baton, authorities say.
Tyrell W. Hedlund, 18, 204 Cameron St., and Grant E. Trapani, 20, 919 Feather Court, Altoona, were each charged Tuesday in Eau Claire County Court with a felony count of armed robbery.
Trapani was also charged with a felony count of bail jumping and a misdemeanor count of possession of a controlled substance.
Hedlund and Trapani are free on $1,000 signature bonds, which prohibit them from having contact with the woman or each other.
They return to court Aug. 3 for a preliminary hearing.
According to the criminal complaint:
A woman called police to report that she was robbed of her backpack by two males just after 10:30 p.m. Monday near the west side of the High Bridge in the 2500 block of First Street.
The woman said she was riding her bicycle on the bike trail to return to her residence. Two males then jumped out in front of her, blocking her path.
One of the males gave the woman a name of a man and asked if she knew him. The woman said that was her boyfriend.
One of the males then drew a baton, held it toward the woman in a threatening manner and told her to give him her backpack.
After the woman gave him her backpack, both males then walked away on the bike trail.
The woman said the males did not touch or physically assault her. But she felt she would have been beaten with the baton had she not handed over her backpack.
A police officer noted that the woman appeared to have been traumatized by the incident as she was very emotional and cried while describing what occurred.
The woman said clothing, her wallet with her ID and two pocket knives were inside the backpack.
A police officer found the woman's backpack and many of its contents strewn along the bike trail.
Another police officer found Hedlund and Trapani walking south along First Avenue. They matched the woman's description of the suspects.
Hedlund and Trapani told the officer they did not come into contact with anyone during their walk.
Officers then interviewed the males separately.
A baton and knife were found in Hedlund's pockets.
A knife was also found in Trapani's pocket. Five yellow pills were found in his backpack.
The woman identified the two knives as belonging to her.
After his arrest, Trapani then admitted that he and Hedlund had encountered a woman during their walk.
Trapani said he recognized the woman from a previous altercation years ago.
An altercation may have taken place between Hedlund and the woman, but Trapani said he kept walking and had no involvement.
Trapani was free on a signature bond for a pending felony case in Eau Claire County. A condition of bond prohibited him from committing new crimes.
Hedlund is being prosecuted as a repeat offender. He was convicted of a felony count of substantial battery in August 2020 in Eau Claire County.
If convicted of the felony charges, Trapani and Hedlund could be sentenced to up to 28 and 25 years in prison, respectively.
