Jamal Osman, a member of the Minneapolis City Council who represents Ward 6, says he was carjacked Monday night by “two youth.”
Osman released a statement on social media saying he was parked near Portland Avenue and Lake Street and making a phone call to his sister when the incident happened.
“Thankfully, I am safe and unharmed. Minneapolis Police responded quickly to the incident. I want to thank them — and also Chief O’Hara and Mayor Frey — for reaching out and checking in tonight,” he said.
According to Osman’s statement, police believe the suspects, described as “two youth,” carjacked another victim and their child earlier in the evening.
“My heart goes out to them — no one should have to experience this kind of trauma in our city,” he said. “This incident is another reminder of the work ahead to keep all of our communities safe.”
Osman was reelected last week with 58% of the vote. He faced scrutiny earlier this year when it was revealed that a nonprofit he founded was used by fraudsters in Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future scandal.
Update: Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said during a media briefing Tuesday afternoon that two juveniles were arrested in connection to a crime spree and two adults were arrested in connection to a separate carjacking.
According to O’Hara:
Between 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., police officers in the first, fourth and fifth precincts responded to a series of incidents that police believe are connected involving three stolen vehicles.
Around 2 p.m., a Subaru Outback was stolen from the 1600 block of First Avenue South after a victim inadvertently left her key fob in the car. Over the next several hours, the suspects used the Subaru to commit multiple robberies and attempted carjackings across the city, including one at Elwood Avenue North and another near Hennepin Avenue, where a victim was assaulted as suspects tried to take his vehicle.
Around 5:15 p.m., officers were dispatched to a disturbance on the 600 block of Elwood Avenue North and found a woman who said she was putting her daughter in the car when a suspect got into the driver’s seat and attempted to drive away.
The woman then jumped on her daughter in the backseat and as she did so the suspect who was driving the car began punching her in the face and in the head.
The suspect then jumped out of the vehicle and it struck multiple lane markers before the victim was able to bring the vehicle to a halt.
At 6:31 p.m., the suspects carjacked a gray Subaru Legacy near the 1600 block of Hennepin Avenue, where they threatened the victim and smashed his cellphone before stealing it and fleeing.
At 7:57 p.m., police believe the same suspects committed another carjacking of Council Member Osman near Lake Street and Portland Avenue. They threatened Osman with mace and stole his white Volkswagen Atlas.
Within minutes of the incident, Fifth Precinct officers spotted the stolen Subaru Legacy and Osman’s Volkswagen near Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue. Police attempted to stop the vehicles and both of them fled, striking several uninvolved cars in traffic. Police arrested two suspects after a short foot chase. A replica firearm was recovered. The suspects, aged 15 and 16, were taken into custody. One of the juveniles is known to police.
In an unrelated case, police arrested two adults overnight following an armed carjacking and vehicle pursuit.
Around 6:07 a.m. Monday, a man was carjacked at gunpoint by a gas station near the 2600 block of Penn Avenue North. The suspects, described as two men in a white Ford pickup, stole the victim’s Kia Forte.
At 2:40 a.m. Tuesday morning, Fourth Precinct officers located the stolen Kia and initiated a pursuit. The suspects attempted to flee through Willard Park, crashing the vehicle near 16th Avenue and Queen Avenue North. The passenger was arrested at the scene and the driver was arrested a few minutes later after a perimeter search. Both suspects have criminal histories and had active warrants at the time of their arrest.
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.
