BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — Five juveniles were taken into police custody Tuesday after a crime spree that allegedly included theft, assault and fleeing authorities in a stolen vehicle.
Brooklyn Park police said they were first alerted to the situation unfolding in the Target parking lot on West Broadway Avenue just after 3:30 p.m. A call went to police reporting that three female juveniles were involved in a theft.
As the three exited the store at 7535 West Broadway, they got into a vehicle. The person who called police about the theft reported the vehicle's license plate, and officers determined that the vehicle had been stolen in Minneapolis.
Police said that as the three suspects drove through the parking lot, they assaulted a person who wasn't involved in what was happening between police and the juveniles.
Officers arriving in the area tried to stop the stolen vehicle, but the suspects fled. A short chase ensued, but then police said they stopped the pursuit and lost sight of the vehicle.
A short time later, police found the stolen vehicle about a mile away, in the area of Candlewood Drive North and West Broadway Avenue. Officers said it had crashed into a parked car, and witnesses told police that five female juveniles got out of the vehicle and ran away.
A K-9 was called to the area, and the five suspects were found a short time later. All of them were taken into custody. Police said two of the suspects were released to their parents while the other three were taken to the Hennepin County Supervision Center, either because police identified them as runaways or officers were unable to contact their parents.
Police said that no one was injured when the stolen vehicle crashed, but both vehicles were "significantly" damaged.
In information provided to the media, Brooklyn Park police noted that "the juvenile female suspects were identified by witnesses at Target, the assault, at the scene of the crash, and will be charged for their crimes at a later date."
No charges have been filed as of Wednesday morning.
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