Twenty people arrested, 18 of them now charged — all connected to brutal robberies in downtown Minneapolis.
The attacks were caught on surveillance video, taking place in August. Police say groups of people would target one person, assault them, and often to take their cellphone and wallet. The 18 suspects range in age from 15 to 27.
Walking alone is all part of Sneh Bhakta’s commute in downtown Minneapolis.
“It does make me feel singled out because all the time I am alone,” Bhakta said. “And like when I commute at 6 in the morning, I am by myself, at the train station I’m alone.”
His concerns grew upon seeing the disturbing robberies caught on tape, occurring near the places he walks. At about 4 a.m. on August 17, at the intersection of 5th Street and Hennepin Avenue, a man stands by himself while looking down at his phone. Slowly but surely, people approach him to talk. Eventually he is surrounded, beaten and left unconscious — all so the thieves could take his phone and wallet.
Kristi Noem Issues Blistering Response to ‘Ill-Informed Famous Musicians’ Who Attacked ICE at Grammys
Government shutdown ends as Trump signs bill, but DHS funding deadline looms
NFL’s Roger Goodell Gripes About Lack of Black Head Coaches Ahead of Woke Super Bowl Halftime Circus
GOP senator jabs Jeffries as ‘butt hurt’ over Trump-Schumer deal
My night with Kamala: Harris’s ‘I told you so’ tour comes to Richmond
Judge orders man accused of spraying Ilhan Omar held before trial, possibly in solitary confinement
AI giant’s lobbyist spending exploded as it clashed with Trump administration
California parents who decapitated 2 children, forced other kids to see bodies learn sentence
Florida GOP candidate launches Tinder account to campaign to young female voters
Billie Eilish’s ‘Stolen Land’ Grammy Lecture Hilariously Backfires – Tribe That Claims Land Under Her Mansion Calls Her Out
Mandelson resigns from House of Lords as Keir Starmer hopes to stop Epstein scandal from engulfing him
FLASHBACK: 2024’s immigration ground zero in spotlight again as judge’s 11th hour ruling sparks outrage
Police Sources Detail Grim Findings in the House of Savannah Guthrie’s Mother
Noem responds to Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish bashing ICE at Grammys: ‘I wish they knew’
Top teachers union under fire as lawmakers push to strip union of unique federal charter: ‘Lost their way’
A few weeks earlier outside Target Field, another group targets a man who is alone in broad daylight. They attack him, and even ride a bike over his body — all to steal his belongings.
Police said during a three-week stretch in August, 48 robberies were reported in downtown with 23 happening in one week.
From January 1 to August 26 in 2018, police said there were 156 robberies downtown. During that same span in 2019 there were 240 — an increase of 53.8%
Most of the robberies are taking place along between 3rd and 6th Street, as well as Hennepin and 2nd Avenue. The key time is from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Police said the criminals in the recent cases “finesse” the victim. They search for easy targets, typically someone who is intoxicated, alone, and looking at their phone.
“Many of these juveniles that are affected by this are part of just coming out of incarceration and they don’t have any hope at home, there’s nothing there, and so they come downtown where there’s a little bit of everything and they’re waiting on somebody to prey on,” said V.J. Smith, founder of MAD DADS Minneapolis.
Kristi Noem Issues Blistering Response to ‘Ill-Informed Famous Musicians’ Who Attacked ICE at Grammys
Government shutdown ends as Trump signs bill, but DHS funding deadline looms
NFL’s Roger Goodell Gripes About Lack of Black Head Coaches Ahead of Woke Super Bowl Halftime Circus
GOP senator jabs Jeffries as ‘butt hurt’ over Trump-Schumer deal
My night with Kamala: Harris’s ‘I told you so’ tour comes to Richmond
Judge orders man accused of spraying Ilhan Omar held before trial, possibly in solitary confinement
AI giant’s lobbyist spending exploded as it clashed with Trump administration
California parents who decapitated 2 children, forced other kids to see bodies learn sentence
Florida GOP candidate launches Tinder account to campaign to young female voters
Billie Eilish’s ‘Stolen Land’ Grammy Lecture Hilariously Backfires – Tribe That Claims Land Under Her Mansion Calls Her Out
Mandelson resigns from House of Lords as Keir Starmer hopes to stop Epstein scandal from engulfing him
FLASHBACK: 2024’s immigration ground zero in spotlight again as judge’s 11th hour ruling sparks outrage
Police Sources Detail Grim Findings in the House of Savannah Guthrie’s Mother
Noem responds to Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish bashing ICE at Grammys: ‘I wish they knew’
Top teachers union under fire as lawmakers push to strip union of unique federal charter: ‘Lost their way’
The organization is an outreach group that fills downtown every weekend. They will do everything from break up fights to feed people, but most importantly be the adult figure at-risk youth might be missing in their lives. Many of those arrested for the robberies are juveniles who MAD DADS workers have interacted with.
“These people in the community that are doing this, we have to have some consequences for this, but we also have to get to the heart of it. What’s wrong? What’s your problem? Is it education? Is it mental health? What is it and let’s treat it and let’s fix it,” he said.
After the recent arrests, police said robberies dropped to just three in one week earlier this month. Regardless, Bhakta plans to keep his guard up.
“It’s still challenging to feel, like, safe, because I’m always kind of vigilant about my surroundings, and if something doesn’t happen to me, it might happen to someone else and just being aware of that,” Bhakta said.
Story cited here.
