MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Police arrested three juveniles and are seeking at least two more in connection to a string of 14 reported robberies that occurred Sunday, some of them at gunpoint.
The Minneapolis Police Department said there were six robberies Sunday morning, followed by another eight that night. Four occurred within 18 minutes Sunday morning in the Fifth Precinct — the same area where another string of robberies occurred earlier this month — including one at gunpoint.
Thirty minutes later, police say a carjacking occurred in northeast Minneapolis, followed by a nearby armed robbery 15 minutes later. Police say they believe the vehicle stolen in the carjacking was used in the armed robbery that occurred in northeast Minneapolis.
"This, again, appears to be the same MO, same groups of juveniles that we suspect were involved in the previous robbery spree," said MPD Chief Brian O'Hara in a press conference on Sunday. "We've had investigators working around the clock to try and identify all of the different individuals involved. However, we believe this is more than one group and we suspect today it may have been two groups of juveniles, working in tandem, to commit these crimes."
Later Sunday in northeast Minneapolis there were four more robberies, including two at gunpoint. Around 8:30 p.m., an additional four armed robberies were reported. One of the suspects stole a car and crashed it that night as well.
Chief O'Hara said the department enacted recently adopted protocol Sunday where officers responding to non-emergency calls get redirected to the area of the crime spree.
During Sunday's press conference, Chief O'Hara said the pattern police have seen involves groups of juveniles driving around in stolen vehicles — sometimes in groups — and they'll circle an area or neighborhood. Investigators believe all of the victims Sunday were women.
"I need the public to know that it's really important that they report suspicious activity to us as quickly as possible," O'Hara said.
According to MPD data, robberies have spiked by 40.2% citywide so far in 2024 compared to this same time period last year. In the Fifth Precinct, robberies have increased 126.8%.
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