'Don't be distracted': Minneapolis carjacking victim warns others to be careful
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A recent Minneapolis carjacking victim is sharing her story to warn others of the violent crime issue that has plagued the city for more than a year now.
FOX 9 is not publicly identifying her by name to protect her safety as her assailants escaped with her keys and her friend’s car.
She told Reporter Paul Blume, "I lived in Minneapolis for quite some time and always felt safe. I have been aware of the carjackings and everything that’s happened, but I just did not think it would ever happen to me."
The Minneapolis Police Department reports 524 carjackings across the city already in 2021.
The woman says the carjacking occurred right in front of her Northeast Minneapolis home Sunday night. She was sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. A male friend was driving. They were exchanging goodbyes when the attack quickly unfolded.
"And then, probably about 30 seconds later, someone came, put a gun to my head, a woman to my head in my seat," the victim recalled about the armed female assailant.
Two men with guns went for the driver. She remembers at least one other suspect in a get-away vehicle. The crew took their keys and car, and they were gone, leaving behind the victim’s wallets and cell phones.
"I mean, it was very, very traumatizing. I can’t even explain it to be honest, and it’s still hard for me to process even though it happened a couple nights ago," she said. "I am still in shock that something bad can happen so quickly."
On Tuesday, a Minneapolis regulatory services employee had his wallet and city car stolen. The carjackers subsequently crashed the vehicle as law enforcement tracked the escape by GPS with the help of a helicopter. Two suspects were arrested, two others detained.
The recent victim says it feels like no one is safe, "You think you are aware of your surroundings and I thought I was, but it just makes me even pay more attention to who I am with, who is around me, what I am doing."
She continued, "I would suggest for people not to be alone, but I was with another person. Not to be alone, walking home from places at night. Don’t be on your cell phone, don’t be distracted."
The woman believes the female assailant who had the gun to her head appeared to be in her 20s, maybe 30ish, seemingly making this crew different in that authorities report carjacking suspects tend to skew younger in their teen years.
She added, there was no nervousness or panic on the part of the suspects, that it appeared they knew what they were doing.