Fireworks thrown at police, more weekend mayhem in Dinkytown
The incidents this past weekend are just the latest in repeated incidents of mob violence that have plagued the Dinkytown area over the last couple of years.
Fireworks were thrown at police in Dinkytown near the University of Minnesota campus early Monday morning during what seemed to be an extension of repeated disturbances by Somali youth that authorities appear unable to control.
An officer aired to dispatch about 12:40 a.m. Monday that Roman candles were being launched at a University of Minnesota police squad near the intersection of 4th Street Southeast and 13th Avenue Southeast, according to police scanner audio.
Within minutes, Crime Watch Minneapolis began receiving video clips and messages from area residents describing “absolute chaos” in Dinkytown and large groups of Somali teens setting off fireworks.
Video clips appeared to show loud fireworks going off, with one explosion right in front of a squad car.
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Liz Collin recently reported that Minneapolis police staffing was down to 493 officers — from a high of close to 900 in early 2020. The department has also been under stress with the recent murder of Officer Jamal Mitchell, as well as an officer-involved fatal shooting just two weeks later that has left three officers on administrative leave during the investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
