The deputy chief of the Minneapolis Police Department confirmed Thursday that children are frequently involved in robberies, including carjackings.
“As Mayor Frey mentioned, in the past two years, 39 young people under the age of 18 have been arrested three or more times for a robbery. That includes carjackings. In fact, 29 people under the age of 18 have been arrested five or more times, and there are a few who have accumulated even more arrests than that,” said Deputy Chief Amelia Huffman.
She revealed these startling statistics during a press conference at Shiloh Temple in north Minneapolis, which city leaders called to discuss their response to violent crime in the area.
“We are seeing a tragic trend that has been unfolding especially among Minneapolis’ youngest residents,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said.
According to Frey, 75% of robberies in the city are “recidivist in nature,” meaning they’re committed by people with prior convictions.
“I want to give you a few statistics to note just how serious this is. In Minneapolis, we have gone from 388 [carjackings] in 2020 – which, by the way, was high – up to 610 through this year, with the highest spike in the Third Precinct of Minneapolis,” Frey added.
He noted that robberies overall have jumped from 1,867 in 2020 to 2,182 this year.
“One significant thread running through our violent crime patterns, particularly the carjacking cases, is the prevalence of young people who are repeatedly involved in these crimes,” Huffman commented.
Kids as young as 11 have been arrested for stealing cars across the metro area.
“These young people are placing themselves at great risk of being hurt and they’re hurting others,” said Huffman. “These young people who are so at risk are our children, the future of our city, and we collectively need to do right by them and their families through just, community-oriented responses to what we see happening.”
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.
