Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman victimized in carjacking spree

Minneapolis council member victim in carjacking spree

Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman was victimized during a carjacking spree in Minneapolis on Monday night, police said Tuesday.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis City Council Member Jamal Osman was one of the victims in a carjacking spree in Minneapolis on Monday night, police said Tuesday.

Council member carjacked

What we know:

In a statement early Tuesday morning, Council member Osman said he was parked in his car in the area of East Lake Street and Portland Avenue around 8 p.m., making a call to his sister, when he was robbed. Police said Osman was threatened with mace and the suspects stole his Volkswagen Atlas.

Osman says he wasn't hurt during the confrontation and added he was told the suspects were involved in a separate carjacking earlier that evening.

Carjacked council member calls for accountability

Minneapolis City Council member Jamal Osman is demanding accountability after police say teenagers stole his SUV during a wild carjacking spree on Monday.

What they're saying:

After the attack, Osman shared a statement online.

"Minneapolis Police responded quickly to the incident. I want to thank them — and also Chief O'Hara and Mayor Frey — for reaching out and checking in tonight," Osman wrote. "I want to assure neighbors that I'm okay. This incident is another reminder of the work ahead to keep all of our communities safe."

Big picture view:

The carjacking comes nearly a week after Osman easily won re-election to his seat in Ward 6. Osman defeated challenger Mohamoud Hassan to earn a second term on the council.

Timeline:

Police later outlined a number of crimes the suspects in Osman's carjacking are believed to be responsible for:

• Monday, 2 p.m.: Theft of a Subaru Outback on 1st Avenue South.
• Monday, 5:15 p.m.: Attempted carjacking of mother on Elwood Avenue North
• Monday, 6:31 p.m: Subaru Legacy was carjacked on the 1600 block of Hennepin Avenue.
• Monday, shortly before 8 p.m.: CM Jamal Osman's Volkswagen Atlas carjacked from Lake and Portland

Minneapolis police make arrest

The backstory:

Police said the crimes on Monday started with the thieves stealing a Subaru Outback around 2 p.m. from the 1600 block of 1st Avenue South. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara says the victim in the theft had mistakenly left the key fob in the vehicle. The thieves used that Subaru to commit other crimes throughout the day.

Over the ensuing hours, police say the suspects were involved in multiple robberies and attempted carjackings across the city, including an attempted carjacking around 5:15 p.m. on the 600 block of Elwood Avenue North. In that robbery, the thieves surprised a woman as she was putting her daughter in the back of a car. The thief jumped into the driver's seat and tried to pull away. The mother jumped into the backseat and, as she did, the carjacker began punching her in the face.

The would-be carjacker ultimately jumped out of the car, leaving the moving vehicle to strike multiple lane markers before the mom was able to bring the car to a stop.

Suspect spotted:

Minutes after Osman's carjacking, police spotted his stolen Volkswagen and another stolen vehicle in the area of Lake Street and Pillsbury Avenue. When police attempted to stop the vehicles, the drivers fled, striking uninvolved cars in the process. One vehicle crashed into a hydrant and police were able to arrest two suspects, ages 15 and 16, as they ran away on foot. Osman's Volkswagen was later found near Lyndale Place in north Minneapolis.

Of the two teens arrested, police say one of the suspects has a history.

Dig deeper:

Separate from that carjacking spree, police also announced Tuesday they arrested two adults for a carjacking Monday evening in the area of Penn Avenue North and 26th Avenue North. Those suspects were arrested after a chase in the Willard Park area in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Both have criminal histories, police said. One of those suspects was hospitalized after police say it appears he swallowed drugs during his arrest.