Minneapolis mayoral candidate Jazz Hampton said he had his car stolen from outside his southwest Minneapolis house over the weekend. His wife’s car has been stolen twice from the same spot, Hampton said, and this time a thief got into his Volkswagen ID.4 early Saturday morning.
Hampton said he left a dead key fob in the car’s glove box, but an actual key is tucked inside the fob for emergencies. The car locks up with the dead fob in it, Hampton said, and none of the windows were broken.
“I’m not sure how they got in,” he said. “I thought the car was locked.”
The Volkswagen broadcast its location, and when Hampton realized the electric car was missing he tracked it to the corner of 6th Street and Marquette Avenue in downtown Minneapolis — with a dead battery. A police officer checked it first and Hampton took it back by noon that same day.
Hampton posted about the incident on Instagram, adding in some of his public safety policies, including giving more resources to police to help fight crime.
“We need a dedicated group of officers who are addressing these types of crimes directly,” Hampton said in the video, which shows him walking through his Linden Hills neighborhood. “Officers need different kinds and additional resources, maybe instead of spending them on other things we spend within public safety to ensure we can address these issues as well.”
Hampton, in his video, praised the Minneapolis police officer who “went out of her way” to help. He also thanked the thieves, who didn’t steal his basketball shoes.
More than 3,225 vehicles have been stolen in Minneapolis this year, according to city public safety data posted online. That is 26% fewer than at this time last year.
