Some Minneapolis neighborhoods seeing increase in robberies, carjackings

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - There's been an increase in the number of robberies and carjackings reported to Minneapolis police in four neighborhoods in the third precinct.

The most recent increase in reported robberies and carjackings has been seen in the Bryant, Bancroft, Regina and Northrop neighborhoods, according to an update from the Minneapolis Police Department's third precinct on Monday. 

Police said robberies and carjackings in the third precinct have been happening in front of homes and in alleys, usually as the victim is arriving home or getting into their vehicle. In some cases, the victim is approached while sitting in their car on the phone. 

More than half the robberies in the third precinct happened between 10 a.m. and between 8 and 11 p.m. In these incidents, suspects are demanding phones, keys, wallets and passwords. 

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The alert did not provide any statistics about the number of robberies and carjackings in the precinct, but the city's crime dashboard shows there have been 29 carjackings and 86 robberies in the past 28 days and 131 carjackings and 385 robberies so far this year in the third precinct. 

RELATED: 'You've been warned': Federal crackdown on violent crime, carjackings announced [May 3]

Citywide, 339 carjackings have been reported so far this year, including 58 in the past 28 days. When looking at robberies, 1,133 have been reported in Minneapolis this year (this figure includes carjackings), including 215 in the past 28 days. The number of carjackings reported in Minneapolis this year is up nearly 23% compared to 2021, while the number of robberies in the city is up 3.4% compared to last year. 

RELATED: Chilling video shows mom struggling with carjacker who drives off with child in back seat [May 8]

Safety tips

Police are offering tips to help prevent becoming a victim of these types of crimes. The tips include: 

• Keep your car doors locked at all times, with police noting there have been "confirmed cases" where locked doors have stopped the robbery.
• Stay aware of your surroundings — using your phone while sitting in your car makes you an "easy target."
• Have multi-factor authentication for your banking and money apps, such as Venmo and PayPal.
• Plan ahead and notify others of your estimated time of arrival.
• If you think someone is following you while you're in your car, continue driving and find a safe place, such as a police station or open business.
• If you are robbed or carjacked, try to remember license plate numbers, vehicle description, suspect description, and direction they fled.
• Call 911 to report the incident.

Violent crime in Minneapolis

Gov. Tim Walz said last week he will keep reinforcements in Minneapolis indefinitely to help curb violent crime amid a staffing shortage of Minneapolis police officers. This summer, the state and suburban cities have been assisting the depleted MPD to crack down on street racing, gang activity and violent crimes.

RELATED: Minnesota saw 21% violent crime increase in 2021, according to new report [Aug. 12]

Minneapolis Police data show some violent crime has plateaued. Homicides are flat from a year ago, while gunshot wound victims are down 11% and shooting calls have decreased 9%, according to data that MPD officials shared with City Council this week. 

But violent crime of all kinds remains well above Minneapolis's long-run averages before the COVID-19 pandemic. Carjackings have continued to increase this year, up about 23% from 2021 and up more than 250% compared to the three-year average.