MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 29-year-old man is accused of beating a Columbia store owner with the butt of his handgun, and leaving the victim covered in his own blood, according to authorities.
Brandon Benjamin Broszko was charged with two counts of first-degree attempted aggravated robbery, according to a criminal complaint filed in Anoka County.
The complaint states that an Inspire Clothing employee flagged down police at about 9:23 p.m. on June 11 in Columbia, saying the owner was being beaten by multiple men.
When police arrived at 4052 Central Avenue, they saw Broszko coming around the corner. Broszko ran, but police caught him after a foot chase, and he was covered in blood. Authorities then went into Inspire Clothing and found the owner lying on the floor of the store, coated in blood with significant injuries to his head.
The owner said he had been attacked by Broszko and two others as they hit him in the head multiple times, hitting him with the head of a handgun, yelling “where the money was at.” The victim was unsure if money or other property had been taken from the store.
While in the back of the squad car, Broszko said he wasn’t trying to rob the store, but recover money because the owner sold him fake products. Broszko did say he was there to assault the owner.
