Amid Friday's rash of carjackings, cases up by nearly 40 percent in Minneapolis

More than 440 carjackings in Minneapolis have been reported in 2021, a 38% increase compared with last year, according to city statistics.

Most recently, several carjackings occurred over a period of hours on Friday in south Minneapolis, similar to a slew of cities where these incidents have been on the rise in recent months — the crimes largely committed by juveniles.

Victims were robbed at gunpoint by multiple suspects in six carjackings in an area bounded by Hiawatha Avenue, Interstate 35W, Hwy. 62 and I-94, according to police.

From Sept. 28 to Oct. 25, the MPD recorded 82 carjackings with 73% in the Third and Fourth precincts in southeast and north Minneapolis. There was a noticeable drop in incidents in the Fifth Precinct, which covers the city's southwest side.

As of Oct. 25, there were 436 carjackings in 2021. Despite the spike in carjackings, overall robbery cases increased by just 7% and robberies of businesses dropped by 6%.

Many instances of carjacking in the Fourth Precinct involved ride-share operators, police said. More than 40 Uber or Lyft drivers have been targeted in about two months.

Minneapolis police did not respond to repeated messages left Sunday. St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said no immediate numbers were available, but no increases have been noted since spring. The carjackings have become a topic on social media neighborhood and crime pages, and the incidents come days before the Minneapolis election where, among other issues, voters will consider replacing the Police Department with a new public safety agency following scrutiny of the department after the police killing of George Floyd.

Minneapolis didn't specifically track carjackings until September 2020 because they were so infrequent. Previous cases fell under aggravated robberies and auto theft. The agency created a new coding system after last summer yielded an unusually high number of attacks.

"These suspects have been known to ask for directions, then rob the victim of a purse, phone or car," read an MPD crime alert issued at the time in the Third Precinct. It advised residents to be aware of their surroundings and carry only essentials.

Another alert noted that the encounters involve suspects wearing masks and happen so quickly that it's often challenging for witnesses to describe the assailants.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the Twin Cities are seeing a trend of carjackings committed by juveniles.

On Saturday night, his department arrested two teens, ages 17 and 15, after they were spotted in a stolen vehicle. On Oct. 27, the vehicle's owner was robbed, assaulted and carjacked on Grand Avenue in St. Paul. One juvenile possessed a gun. Both remain in the Juvenile Detention Center, Fletcher said.

"I talked to both of the young men that we arrested last night. It's like anything else — 90% of their personality is positive and shows promise, but you need to control those criminal instincts the other 10% of the time," Fletcher said. "We need to help them find some tools to be able to stop them from carjacking people."

Staff writers Jackie Crosby and Liz Sawyer contributed to this report.