Minneapolis police said Tuesday that six children — three males, ages 11, 12 and 13; announced the arrest of three women. KMSP TV reported.
Around 11:30 a.m., police responded to an armed robbery in the 5100 block of South 41st Street and a second armed robbery in the 3400 block of Bloomington Avenue, the department said.
Police spotted one of the vehicles and attempted to stop the driver, but the driver fled in reverse, sparking a police pursuit that ended in a westbound crash on Interstate 94.
Police said shots were fired at the victims from one of the vehicles involved in the second armed robbery, KMSP reported, adding that no one was injured in the shooting.
According to police, a third armed robbery occurred near 24th Street and Pleasant Street around 1:30 p.m.
According to a report by KMSP, police said they activated a “crime pattern response protocol” due to similarities between the three robberies.
Law enforcement from multiple agencies, including the Minneapolis and Hennepin County Sheriff's Offices and the Minnesota State Patrol, “began swarming the area” searching for the vehicle involved in the robbery, the department said.
KMSP said it received numerous 911 calls in Minneapolis regarding reckless driving of vehicles. Police spotted one of the vehicles and attempted to stop the driver, but the driver instead fled, sparking a police pursuit that ended on Interstate 94 near Cedar Avenue, the department said. The car was heading west when the crash occurred.
The vehicle's occupants fled on foot, but police “quickly arrested” the four people, KMSP said in a statement.
A second vehicle, which police said was stolen, was nearby and also crashed, police told the sheriff's office. This caused the two occupants of that vehicle to flee on foot and were captured, KMSP said.
Three other vehicles were involved in the crash, but the occupants of those vehicles were not injured, police said.
KMSP said six juveniles were arrested after the crash: three males aged 11, 12 and 13, and three females aged 12 and 14. They were taken to a hospital for evaluation for non-life-threatening injuries, the department said.
Police told KMSP that the suspects will be taken to a juvenile detention center.
The 12-year-old male arrested had “multiple prior contacts” with Minneapolis police, while the remaining men had “no or limited prior contact” with police, the department said in a release. He announced that he would be “sent to a youth diversion program.”
KMSP said police are continuing to investigate each child's involvement in the three robberies and whether they were involved in any other criminal activity.
“The fact that this activity continues against such young children, despite all our efforts, is extremely frustrating and urgent,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, according to the department. “This highlights the need for action.” “We are grateful for the immediate action of law enforcement to locate and apprehend these juveniles before they could cause greater harm to our community or our members than themselves.”
Check out this watch video A suspect is seen crossing the interstate and nearly being run over before being arrested.
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