Connor Johnson, 21, thought moving to Pleasant Avenue South would live up to its name. Instead, just weeks after settling in, he says he found himself violently carjacked early Sunday morning by a group of masked teenagers.
The attack took place around 12:30 a.m. outside Johnson’s new apartment at 3900 Pleasant Avenue South. After dropping off his girlfriend and searching for a parking spot, he noticed a white GMC Acadia circling the block several times. Moments later, the vehicle pulled up and boxed him in.
NEW: Connor Johnson told me he will never go back to Minneapolis after he says a group of Somali teenagers stole his Honda Civic and one “sucker punched him in the eye” even as he gave up his car.
It happened early Sunday morning when he was looking for a parking spot outside… pic.twitter.com/KFMSSdnM5Z
— Liz Collin (@lizcollin) September 3, 2024
“They started yelling at me that they wanted my car,” Johnson said, still reeling from the encounter. “It was a group of Somali teenagers all wearing ski masks.”
Even after surrendering his Honda Civic, Johnson was sucker-punched as he tried to escape. His phone and wallet were inside the stolen vehicle, though the phone was later found two blocks away.
A resident who discovered the phone told Johnson that he, too, was moving out of the city due to rising crime.
Johnson says his car was eventually located Monday morning at a Minneapolis impound lot, crashed after being involved in at least six other robberies, police told him. He said no arrests have been made.
Johnson, whose eye is still swollen shut from the assault, said he has already moved out of Minneapolis. “I don’t think I will ever go back,” he said.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
