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.
