Overnight Minneapolis robbery spree ends with police chase crash

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man suspected in at least two robberies overnight in Minneapolis was arrested after a police pursuit ended in a crash on I-35W.

Minneapolis police say they activated its robbery response protocol in the early morning of Sunday after three robberies in less than an hour, all in the same general area along the border of the Marcy-Holmes and Como neighborhoods. The protocol brings extra units into an area after a string of robberies.

The reports included:

• 12:50 a.m.: A man and woman robbed at gunpoint of their cell phones and wallets along the 1200 block of Como Ave SE
• 1:20 a.m.: Three men robbed in the area of SE 8th St and 13th Ave SE. The suspect's description matched the first robbery.
• 1:27 a.m.: Reported armed carjacking along the 1100 block of 7th St SE, Minneapolis

Shortly after the carjacking, University of Minnesota police officers spotted a vehicle that had been reportedly involved in the first two robberies. They attempted to stop the vehicle, sparking a police chase down 4th Street SE onto I-35W northbound.

A few minutes later, the driver wiped out at 35W and Johnson Street, flipping over onto southbound lanes.

The 20-year-old man in the vehicle was arrested and taken to Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. Police say he suffered non-life-threatening injuries in the crash and was expected to be booked into the Hennepin County Jail once cleared by medical staff.

At the crash scene, officers found a handgun and "evidence from the robberies." Police say the suspect is believed to have acted in at least two of the robberies.