Three teenage boys have been arrested for their involvement in a 48-hour crime spree spanning Edina and Minneapolis, the Edina Police Department announced Friday.
Police said the crime spree began July 23 when the juvenile suspects stole an Audi Q3 in the Southdale area of Edina.
They then used the vehicle in five purse-snatchings, including three in the 50th and France area in both Edina and Minneapolis.
Police located the stolen vehicle July 25 and arrested the teenagers involved in the incidents.
Police said they have added extra patrols to the 50th and France area.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher has been sounding the alarm on the “failed juvenile justice system” for the past several months.
He said three juvenile offenders were involved in a crime spree from July 5-7 across the suburbs of Edina, Eden Prairie, Roseville, Bloomington, and Minnetonka.
The spree began on July 5 with five thefts in the span of three hours in Edina, he said. They allegedly went on to steal two BMWs and a Tesla from homes in Eden Prairie and Minnetonka.
“The suspects were apprehended and had two handguns on them,” Fletcher said. “They were released to their parents because the Hennepin Juvenile Detention Center does not hold property crime offenders. All three suspects have an auto theft history and two have a weapons history prior to this arrest. Back on the streets.”
After their release, two were seen stealing from a Speedway Gas Station on July 12 and attempted to flee in a stolen Kia by ramming a Minneapolis squad car, Fletcher said. They were arrested and released to their parents.
Two days later, July 14, one of the suspects was arrested yet again by Edina police after he rammed one of their squad cars with a stolen vehicle from Brooklyn Park, Fletcher said.
On July 15, two of the juveniles were arrested for a third time, according to Fletcher. Fletcher said they robbed several female victims in Minneapolis and punched them in the face.
Anthony Gockowski
Anthony Gockowski is Editor-in-Chief of Alpha News. He previously worked as an editor for The Minnesota Sun and Campus Reform, and wrote for the Daily Caller.
