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.
‘I Knew It Was On Me’ – TV Reporter Somehow Holds It Together as Giant Bug Crawls Across Her Chest While She’s On Camera
Two families sue North Dakota hospital on allegations babies were switched at birth
ICE arrests record 238 illegal immigrants in one day during South Texas enforcement operation
Lindsey Graham’s final act reverberates in Senate as sister is urged to “keep pedaling”
Karoline Leavitt to hold first press briefing since return from maternity leave
Louisiana man accused of killing deputy US marshal faces possible death penalty
Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’
Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported
Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry
Bloodhound K-9 unit helps bring Georgia manhunt to end with arrest of suspect accused of shooting woman
EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’
Trump says ‘proud American veterans’ will replace illegal immigrant truck drivers
Former Marine running for Congress says Trump is the Antichrist and ‘must be killed’ in shocking video
‘She saw dollar signs’: Former Obama counsel pressed over years-long Epstein ties
Tim Scott floats Lindsey Graham’s sister as permanent successor
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.
‘I Knew It Was On Me’ – TV Reporter Somehow Holds It Together as Giant Bug Crawls Across Her Chest While She’s On Camera
Two families sue North Dakota hospital on allegations babies were switched at birth
ICE arrests record 238 illegal immigrants in one day during South Texas enforcement operation
Lindsey Graham’s final act reverberates in Senate as sister is urged to “keep pedaling”
Karoline Leavitt to hold first press briefing since return from maternity leave
Louisiana man accused of killing deputy US marshal faces possible death penalty
Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in ‘gesture of goodwill’
Tim Walz offers strange defense for pardoning convicted child rapist Trump administration deported
Nevada Lt Gov: Elon Musk could make space tourism state’s next big industry
Bloodhound K-9 unit helps bring Georgia manhunt to end with arrest of suspect accused of shooting woman
EXCLUSIVE: Pence pushes to rename bill for Lindsey Graham, recalls final talk: ‘Bring Putin to the table’
Trump says ‘proud American veterans’ will replace illegal immigrant truck drivers
Former Marine running for Congress says Trump is the Antichrist and ‘must be killed’ in shocking video
‘She saw dollar signs’: Former Obama counsel pressed over years-long Epstein ties
Tim Scott floats Lindsey Graham’s sister as permanent successor
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.
