6 children arrested after chase, crash on I-94 in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — A half-dozen children have been arrested after a chase and crash in Minneapolis on Tuesday.
None of the children are even old enough to get a driver's permit, let alone a license, and all are too young to stand trial.
According to police, the children were in allegedly stolen vehicles connected to armed robberies in south Minneapolis.
Officers pursued one of the vehicles until it crashed on Interstate 94 westbound near Cedar Avenue. Four children ran from the vehicle and were apprehended, police said. One of the children took off running across I-94 in Minneapolis, narrowly dodging oncoming traffic.
A second vehicle crashed nearby, but was not part of the pursuit, police said. Two children from that car were apprehended.
The children were all 14 or younger — three boys ages 11, 12 and 13 and three girls ages 14, 14 and 12. The 12-year-old boy had "multiple prior contacts with MPD," police said, but the other five were unknown to police before Tuesday's incident.
One of the girls remains in the hospital, but the other five were released, which is typical for children if they have no prior contact with police, O'Hara said.
"The fact that I see this activity continuing with children so young, despite all our efforts, is incredibly frustrating and highlights the urgent need for action," O'Hara said.
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office released this statement on Wednesday afternoon:
"While no cases related to the arrest of six youths on Oct. 8 have been submitted to our office for charging consideration yet, we are aware that five youths were booked [on Tuesday] on auto theft. We are in close communication with law enforcement regarding this incident and will conduct expedited case reviews when they are submitted."
"They are getting younger and younger"
This is the second time in a week O'Hara has called for more to be done about youth crime in Minneapolis. On Friday, the county attorney's office filed charges against a 10-year-old boy who police said drove a stolen car near a school playground, panicking children and staff.
"It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has been involved in this level of criminal activity without effective intervention," O'Hara said. "Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now to help this child and his family."
Two months ago, a half dozen metro police chiefs were also looking for answers.
"The lack of facilities, we don't have anywhere to take them," said New Hope Police Chief Tim Hoyt.
In 2019, two metro facilities for juvenile offenders were closed after being in operation for more than 100 years: Minnetonka's Hennepin County Home School and St. Paul's Totem Town.
The closings came after leaders in Hennepin and Ramsey counties decided to move away from the practice of confining child offenders in favor of a new data-driven system emphasizing the use of alternative methods like intensive treatment homes and community- and cultural-specific programs.
Data show since the closures, crimes committed by youths like arson, auto thefts and robberies have increased in the metro.
"They are getting younger and younger, armed, committing more violent crimes," said Minnetonka Police Chief Scott Boerboom.
The attorney's office said there is "an urgent crisis in our community related to a small group of children who are not competent to stand trial in the juvenile justice system, but who cannot safely be at home."
Both prosecutors and police highlighted the need for residential placement for young offenders, and said something needs to be done soon.
"It does feel like at times kids are beating us at our own game here," O'Hara said.