Just before 11 a.m. on Wednesday, police were dispatched to a report of a crash near Peavey Park in south Minneapolis.
Recorded dispatch audio from the incident indicated that the vehicle had previously been reported as stolen and that a witness had seen the driver of the vehicle flee from the scene of the crash, described as a Somali male teen, age 14-15 in a blue hoodie and green and black striped pants. Police located the crashed vehicle in a driveway near the pool at Peavey Park near the intersection of East 22nd Street and Chicago Avenue South.
A Minneapolis Crime Watch Facebook page also posted that police were setting up setting up a perimeter in the area to search for the suspects who fled from the vehicle.
Another portion of dispatch audio captured the search for the suspects and the eventual apprehension of the alleged driver of the vehicle and possibly two others who were involved. The driver was positively identified by a witness, according to the audio.
The Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) said that auto thefts are up in Minneapolis by 22 percent over last year, according to a report earlier this month. The MPD’s Crime Data Dashboard shows a total of 1720 vehicle thefts through Aug. 23 of this year, with 555 of those occurring in the 3rd Precinct, where Wednesday’s crash occurred. The precinct had 368 vehicle thefts over the same period last year, according to the Dashboard, which indicates over a 50 percent increase in vehicle thefts for that precinct over last year.
The report earlier this month said that arrests for auto thefts are rare and that Minneapolis police had only arrested 60 people for the crime through the first seven months of this year.
The MPD does not provide details about juvenile arrests, so no further information is available about the suspects or possible charges related to Wednesday’s crash.
Sponsor this content. You can help ensure that Alpha News can continue to publish important public safety news and information. Email: pbagnpghf@nycunarjfza.pbz.
###
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information offers citizen-powered news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
