Surveillance footage shows a pair of carjackers stealing what appears to be a BMW on a busy Minneapolis street.
The carjacking reportedly occurred around 7:45 p.m. on Sunday night near the intersection of West Lake Street and Humboldt Avenue South. Crime Watch Minneapolis, a local police scanner monitoring service, reported the crime at the time. Footage of the incident was later uploaded to a local Facebook group that allows citizens to discuss crime in the Uptown Minneapolis neighborhood.
The video clearly shows a person exiting a store, entering onto a well-lit street and unlocking a black SUV as two men stand at the left of the frame. One of them then engages the owner of the vehicle while the other approaches the passenger door.
The carjackers implied they had a firearm during this interaction, per Crime Watch Minneapolis.
As the SUV’s owner is sent staggering away from the vehicle, one of the robbers retreats to a red getaway car and spins the tires as the criminals speed off.
Carjackings have become commonplace in the Twin Cities amid a crime wave that has ravaged the cities for months since the George Floyd riots. During October, there were nearly two carjackings every day in Minneapolis, per a local CBS affiliate.
Sunday’s incident comes not long after a woman was beaten to the ground and kicked by a gang of four men who stole her car in broad daylight on Chowen Avenue South, near 50th Street.
The woman, who is identified only as Susie by a local CBS affiliate, says she feared for her life during the incident and reports being struck by the boldness of her attackers. “They are brazen, they’re not afraid, they will act given the opportunity.”
In her mind, the only solution is to empower police. “They’ve got to fully fund a fully staffed police force. Citizens who are paying taxes and sustaining this economy, we are not being protected,” Susie told the CBS affiliate.
However, local police aren’t the only authorities who may be called to act against carjacking in the Twin Cities.
This type of crime has become so prevalent it’s caught the eye of federal law enforcement.
“This disturbing spike in carjackings throughout the Twin Cities has not gone unnoticed by federal law enforcement. This is unacceptable and we will not hesitate to hold accountable individuals who perpetrate this type of violence in our communities,” U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald said Nov. 9.
MacDonald’s statement came as part of an announcement that three men now face federal carjacking-related charges in connection with crimes committed in June and August. These charges were filed after a joint investigation headed up by the FBI and ATF.
