Man Charged After Gun Allegedly Pointed at Victim During $600 Robbery in Inver Grove Heights
Published: May 4th 2026
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS MN: A Dakota County man has been charged with felony threats of violence after allegedly pointing a handgun at a victim during an encounter related to an arranged gun sale in Inver Grove Heights, according to a criminal complaint.
Charge:
Threats of Violence (Intent to Terrorize)
Minnesota Statute: 609.713.1
Maximum Sentence: 0–5 years and/or $3,000–$10,000 fine
Offense Level: Felony
Offense Date (on or about): March 10, 2026
According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched on March 13, 2026, to a gas station in Inver Grove Heights on a report of theft. Officers met with the victim, who appeared shaky and emotional.
The victim reported he had arranged to purchase a Glock handgun from Joseph James Flaten (DOB: 09/23/2004). The victim stated he met Flaten, handed him $600, and expected to receive the firearm. Instead, Flaten allegedly drove away without providing the gun.
The complaint states Flaten later returned and held cash out the vehicle window. At that point, a passenger in the vehicle allegedly pointed a handgun at the victim. The victim reported seeing a laser sight aimed at him while he was seated in his vehicle. Flaten then drove away again without returning the money, according to the complaint.
Officers later executed a search warrant at Flaten’s residence on March 19, 2026, and took him into custody. During a Mirandized statement, Flaten initially denied knowledge of the incident but later admitted he agreed to sell the victim a gun despite not having one, and admitted to taking and spending the $600, according to the complaint.
A search of Flaten’s phone, conducted pursuant to a warrant, allegedly revealed videos recorded on March 13, 2026. One video, described in the complaint, shows a passenger in the vehicle holding a handgun and pointing it out the window toward the victim while a laser sight is visible. The video also shows Flaten holding cash, and the person recording can be heard laughing.
Investigators also recovered Snapchat messages and text conversations referencing the incident. In one message, Flaten allegedly stated, “I just hit a lick of $600,” which investigators noted is slang for committing a robbery. Additional messages referenced being with “Alex” and included sharing of the video, according to the complaint.
Further text conversations between Flaten and a contact saved as “Alex,” beginning March 10, 2026, allegedly discussed the victim’s interest in purchasing a firearm and plans to take his money. Messages from March 12–13 referenced “hitting the lick” that weekend, according to the complaint.
A detective identified the contact “Alex” as Alexander Jack Erickson (DOB: 01/19/2005), the defendant in this case. Location data obtained through a tracking warrant also showed Flaten’s device at Erickson’s residence multiple times, according to the complaint.
The complaint alleges Erickson was the individual in the passenger seat who pointed the handgun at the victim during the encounter.
The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.