Minneapolis hit by another round of car break-ins; at least 125 vehicles vandalized in two precincts

Another wave of car break-ins swept through Minneapolis overnight Monday into Tuesday morning, forcing dozens of residents to patch broken windows with makeshift covers as the city’s surge in car vandalism and theft continues.

Police responded to at least 125 reports of broken vehicle windows occurring in groupings — meaning multiple vehicles on the same block were damaged during the same date and time, according to police spokesman Trevor Folke. The areas affected were in the Second Precinct in northeast Minneapolis and the Fifth Precinct in southwest Minneapolis.

On Monday, the Minnesota Star Tribune observed more than 20 cars with broken windows in northeast Minneapolis, primarily along NE. 2nd Street.

Shannon Wagner, 24, was driving back from an auto glass repair shop Tuesday after her car and about 10 others had been broken into on her block near 2nd Street and 4th Avenue NE. She lamented that the spree of break-ins has continued for a month now.

“I’m not concerned for my safety. I just wish there was a solution,” said Wagner, a graduate student.

There are no arrests that have been connected to the sprees, Folke said, adding that investigators are pursuing leads and working to determine if any of the sprees are connected.

“MPD has crime and intelligence analysts actively monitoring the trend and sharing information with neighboring jurisdictions,” Folke said. “MPD continues collaborating with other cities that have experienced similar trends.”

In Bloomington last month, more than 40 cars were also targeted in hotel parking lots along American Boulevard. And on Aug. 6, an additional 20 to 30 vehicle windows were smashed in the city’s Linden Hills neighborhood, one resident estimated.

No arrests have been made in the mass break-ins.

Minneapolis police investigators have been collecting and reviewing surveillance video of the incidents, and officers have been conducting additional directed patrols in the targeted areas, spokesman Sgt. Garrett Parten said in a July 23 statement.

Crime analysts are also reviewing the reports for trends in the property crimes both in the city and the metro area, Parten said.

Some residents who had their cars smashed were questioning on Tuesday if police could do more. Wagner said it would be beneficial to have a squad car positioned near her apartment given that her block has been targeted several times.

He said he thinks police should be placing additional security cameras at places such as his apartment near the corner of 2nd Street and NE. Lowry Avenue given the high number of break-ins. He also wished there was more follow-up with the victims of the break-ins.

“There’s been too many at this point,” he said.

The 28-year-old was sweeping the glass next to his car and others’ on Tuesday morning. He noted it’s the third vehicle break-in he’s had since April.

Following a July 21 spree where over 70 cars were targeted, police said in an alert that they were working to find suspects and urged residents with security footage that may have caught a break-in to contact police.

Last month, Parten explained in a statement that the lack of evidence in vandalism and property damage cases decreases the probability of identifying suspects. That difficulty is compounded when a long time passes between when the damage takes place and when it’s discovered and reported.