Five Edina High School students were arrested on April 26 after attempting to carjack someone with an airsoft gun.
Videos and pictures posted online purported to show the students being arrested.
This is the video in circulation at EHS. I was told he is a junior at EHS. Can’t confirm. pic.twitter.com/ofBuvSOM32
— jackie (@jackiegerhardt) April 27, 2023
Police said they responded to a report of an attempted carjacking near the intersection of 70th Street and Antrim Road around 9:58 a.m. on April 26. The victim, who said the boys pointed a gun at him and demanded his vehicle, was able to drive away unharmed and the suspects fled on foot northbound on Antrim Road.
Police found the students near Valley View Middle School within minutes of the call, the police department said in a statement. An imitation airsoft gun without an orange tip was discovered on one of the teenagers at the time of their arrest.
Valley View Middle School was placed on a “soft lockdown,” meaning no one could enter or exit the building.
Edina Public Schools administration and the Edina Police Department met with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and the five teenagers have been referred to the Juvenile Prosecution Division for charging consideration. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has made it clear that she will “make every effort to keep children out of the court system when possible.”
The students involved in the incident all attended Edina High School, but they have not returned to the school since the incident occurred and are no longer enrolled in the school district, the district said in an email to families.
After an investigation that included interviews and a review of surveillance video recordings, there was no evidence to indicate that the imitation airsoft gun was ever on an Edina Public Schools bus or in the school, Edina Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Stacie Stanley told parents.
The Edina Police Department and Edina Public Schools administration met to debrief the incident, and a special closed school board meeting has been scheduled for May 4 to review safety and security protocols.
“This incident has shaken our community at its core,” Stanley said in an email update to parents following the incident. “We are grateful for the swift response of the Edina Police Department, and will continue to review, and when necessary update, our safety and security protocols to support the safety of our students and staff.”
According to the Edina Police Department, the lockdown was lifted after the five suspects were located and taken into custody at 10:04 a.m.
Hayley Feland
Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
