Minneapolis police failed to control a group of so-called hotrodders who took over an intersection for about an hour Friday night and into Saturday morning.
Groups of street racers have caused chaos on Twin Cities streets since the summer of 2020. Their gatherings usually involve groups of drivers moving at excessive speeds and taking over intersections to do donuts. In one locally infamous incident, the driver of a Dodge Charger was recorded turning circles in Uptown while a passenger hung out the window and fired a gun randomly into the air. Unfortunately, the random gunfire that often accompanies hotrodder gatherings killed two people last summer.
“Go somewhere else,” an officer can be heard asking in a video captured Friday night near the University of Minnesota by local videographer Rebecca Brannon. In the clip, the crowd can be seen largely disregarding the officer’s request, opting instead to jeer at him.
After nearly an hour, a police officer finally arrives on scene and tells the already scattered crowd to 'go somewhere else.'
"You mean by somewhere else you mean a different intersection, right?"
The hotrodders ended up going downtown and St. Paul. pic.twitter.com/TceCp90zr6
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) April 2, 2022
One man even went toe-to-toe with the police, who retreated as the man was heard shouting apparent threats. “On God I was gonna do it if he’d [have] turn[ed] around,” the man yelled to no one in particular after following the cops along their brief retreat back to their squad car.
"We got the plates… we got what we need."
Minneapolis Police officers get surrounded by bystanders in Dinkytown after the majority of hotrodders dispersed and took off to downtown and later blocked streets in St. Paul. pic.twitter.com/WYXXi3PW1Q
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) April 2, 2022
Brannon observed one arrest before the hotrodder caravan fled to St. Paul and parts of downtown Minneapolis.
This is not the first time MPD has been less than successful at controlling such gatherings. Crime Watch Minneapolis reported for Alpha News Friday that dispatch audio suggests law enforcement simply lacks the resources to do anything about large, rowdy crowds.
Street racers used their vehicles to shut intersections last night in Minneapolis to perform burnouts & stunts.
MPD dispatch audio has often been heard citing current understaffing & lack of manpower to shut down these street takeovers the city has seen over the last two years. pic.twitter.com/JicC3b3dDf
— Rebecca Brannon (@RebsBrannon) April 2, 2022
Meanwhile, Minneapolis residents seem to be growing tired of this persistent nuisance. Crime Watch Minneapolis reported that there were multiple 911 calls regarding Friday night’s street racers.
“The street takeovers have crossed into dangerous and deadly territory,” Crime Watch observed in an article for Alpha News, citing another gathering that occurred in recent months during which participants poured gasoline in an intersection to create a ring of fire.
Kyle Hooten
Kyle Hooten is Managing Editor of Alpha News. His coverage of Minneapolis has been featured on television shows like Tucker Carlson Tonight and in print media outlets like the Wall Street Journal.
