Police seek help identifying suspects in ‘brazen’ South Side robbery spree that left two seriously wounded

Minneapolis police are asking for the public’s help in identifying three armed suspects connected to six separate incidents throughout south Minneapolis early Tuesday morning in what officials called “brazen” acts of violence.

The seemingly random crime spree began around 5 a.m. and stretched throughout a wide swath of the city’s Third Precinct, leaving two innocent bystanders wounded by gunfire. Over the course of a two-hour period, officers scrambled to respond to back-to-back garage break-ins, a robbery and carjacking linked to the same three suspects traveling in a white sedan.

At a Tuesday afternoon news conference, Police Chief Brian O’Hara decried the absolute “disregard for human life” shown by the suspects, noting that the victims did not appear to be personally targeted as is typical in other shootings.

The events first unfolded on the 4100 Block of 25th Avenue S. on a report of a burglary. A Ring security camera caught three armed suspects in dark clothing exiting a white car in the alley. Two approached a garage and kicked in the door, while the others waited by the vehicle. They re-emerged within 30 seconds without taking anything.

“Oh, somebody is looking over there,” one man said, according to surveillance footage released by police, as he and an accomplice each raised a handgun. One of the men fired a single round in the direction of a neighbor’s home across the alley, striking a 54-year-old resident who was looking out an upstairs window.

The bullet hit the homeowner in the jaw, then ricocheted into his shoulder, police said. He was transported to HCMC and is expected to survive.

“We always remind people that property can be replaced, but your life can’t,” O’Hara told the media. “I don’t know what you’re supposed to say to somebody that simply looked out their window because they heard a noise and the next thing now they’re getting shot. That’s terrible.”

Less than 15 minutes later, officers responded to a reported carjacking on the 5100 block of 34th Avenue S., where a 29-year-old man’s Mazda SUV was taken at gunpoint by four males. The suspects arrived in the white sedan and fled in both vehicles.

There were other reports of possible forced entry into garages in the area, including incidents where nothing was taken.

Around 5:41 a.m., police rushed to the aid of a 25-year-old man who had been shot in the chest near the 2300 block of 32nd Street E. The victim told investigators the shooting occurred during a robbery involving three male suspects in a white sedan.

A third incident involving the same suspects activated the department’s Crime Pattern Response Protocol, which diverted all available resources not assigned to priority calls to locating the suspect vehicle. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Metro Transit Police Department also assisted in the search.

Law enforcement responded to two more calls with similar suspect descriptions before 7 a.m.— one involving a garage burglary where a window was smashed and later a shots-fired call that resulted in no known injury or damage.

Officers have since recovered both the stolen Mazda SUV and the original suspect vehicle. But, as of Tuesday evening, no arrests had been made.

Police released limited suspect descriptions based on the individuals' clothing, but no other defining physical characteristics.

Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip with Crime Stoppers online or by calling 800-222-TIPS (8477).

“We will find them, but it’ll be a lot faster with the public’s help,” O’Hara said.