Minneapolis police arrested five teenagers in connection with a series of robberies that took place Monday.

The youths are accused of stealing a vehicle in the Little Earth housing area and robbing at least two people, Police Chief Brian O'Hara said during a news conference.

A man riding a bicycle told police that a white Chrysler pulled in front of him around 6:30 a.m. near the intersection of E. 25th Street and 1st Avenue S. Up to three people wearing facemasks got out of the vehicle, pushed the man to the ground and hit him in the face when he refused to give up his valuables. The suspects made off with the man's bag, a police spokesman said.

Shortly after 11 a.m., a woman walking on the 900 block of W. 36th Street was approached by the suspects in the Chrysler. One of them asked her for directions, then several suspects got out of the car, punched the woman in the mouth and stole a laptop bag containing keys and her passport, police said.

Minneapolis police, with help from the State Patrol and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, spotted and attempted to stop the stolen vehicle at about 3:10 p.m. on the 4400 block of Humboldt Avenue N. Five teens -- four boys ages 13 to 15 and one 14-year-old girl -- ran from the vehicle but were caught and booked into the Hennepin County Detention Center, police said.

O'Hara said citizens calling in and reporting a car that appeared to be suspicious and driving erratically helped police zero in on the suspects and make the arrests.

It was not immediately known whether the suspects were responsible for other robberies that have taken place over the past month in the city.

Robberies were up 49% in Minneapolis this year as of Monday compared with the same time period last year. There have been 308 robberies this year, including 100 in the past month, according to city data.