A masked gunman has been barging into homes near downtown Minneapolis and robbing the residents.
Police sent out a letter to residents of the Heritage Park apartments and townhouses on Olson Way, to the northwest of downtown the Star Tribune reports.
“In the past few weeks we’ve had numerous reports from residents … that an unknown masked suspect has been knocking on residents’ doors and forcing entrance at gunpoint,” the letter read.
The crimes were committed on successive nights from September 24 through the 26, all around 8 p.m. Another crime of a similar nature occurred in the same neighborhood five weeks prior, slightly later in the evening.
The suspect has made off with residents cash, credit cards, and a phone. The robber has brandished both a knife and a gun in one instance, though nobody has been harmed in these crimes yet.
“Investigators are talking with victims and witnesses, and following up on leads,” police spokeswoman Sgt. Catherine Michal told the Star Tribune. As of Sunday afternoon there have been no arrests in this case.
The letter from the police department to Heritage Park residents included no details on the suspect. It makes no mention of the suspect’s age, gender, or race. The suspect’s face was concealed by a mask in one robbery, and by something else in others. Residents are directed “to keep your doors locked and only answer the door when you have confirmed that you know the individual.”
A community meeting has been scheduled by the Heritage Park property manager next week to discuss the situation. A police representative will also attend the meeting.
