"We will enforce the law": MPD increases presence after chaotic night in Dinkytown
MINNEAPOLIS -- A chaotic start to the weekend in the University of Minnesota's Dinkytown neighborhood has police on high alert. Assault, disorderly conduct, fleeing police, and curfew violations were some of the citations issued to teenagers who showed up in large crowds Friday night.
Police say problems began around 10:30 p.m. with a group of about 50 people including mostly teenagers from out of town.
"Some of the people were from Edina, Eden Prairie, the Brooklyns," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said.
In a span of three hours, nine people were cited. Of those, six were arrested, including an 18-year-old who was found with fireworks and a baseball bat.
"We will not tolerate these types of disorderly acts. We won't tolerate these assaults and these kinds of things," O'Hara said.
"Seeing a video of someone violently being assaulted, it's painful and it's scary and it's frustrating," Erin Brumm said.
Erin Brumm is a parent of a student and serves on the board of the Campus Safety Coalition, a group concerned about the safety of students.
"We've got a graduation people are trying to prepare for and we have students that are in finals right now, they don't need this," Brumm said.
Chief Matt Clark of the University's Department of Public Safety says they work hand in hand with Minneapolis police and have officers in Dinkytown nightly.
"The response was immediate, it was quick as possible and it was effective," Chief Clark said about Friday night's incident.
They recently added more cameras, lighting and emergency blue light kiosks.
"We want these juveniles arrested and we want something to happen to them, not a wrist slap and I guess that's where it starts with the Hennepin County Attorney's Office," Brumm said.
WCCO's Reg Chapman recently sat down with Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty where she discussed her office's effort to curb juvenile crime.
Everyone who was arrested overnight Friday has been released from custody. In the coming days, Chief O'Hara says to expect more officers in Dinkytown and surrounding neighborhoods.
"To the extent we can control things we will be present, we will be highly visible, we will seek to deter this behavior before it happens and the instant one of these kids acts out, we will enforce the law," O'Hara said.