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The damage done in the Twin Cities uprising in May 2020, and a second night in August, has been caused by people from Minneapolis and St. Paul as well as a variety of cities around the state, and outside Minnesota.
The August night of looting started as a misunderstanding after a man shot himself in front of police in downtown Minneapolis, leading some individuals to damage businesses. Within a few days, 16 individuals had been arrested for burglary, most of them in their 20s, from areas that included Lake Elmo, Bloomington, Coon Rapids, and White Bear Lake. In what is considered related charges, four people were arrested for robbing a liquor store the same night in Brooklyn Park.
Previous arrests from the May uprising were men and women such as:
- Three 19-year-olds from Rosemount, Brooklyn Park, and Ramsey, who are accused of setting fire on May 28 to a health store in St. Paul;
- A 28-year-old man from Illinois — who posted on Facebook that he was headed to Minneapolis and looking for “goons” to join him — shown on video handing out explosive devices and making statements about looting and setting fire to Sprint and Office Depot;
- Two men charged with throwing Molotov cocktails into a Dakota County government building;
- A St. Paul man, found with items from the Minneapolis Third Precinct looting and fire in his apartment, such as a riot helmet, police radio, and 9mm pistol magazine, as well as men from Brainerd and Staples seen on camera as part of arson inside the precinct;
- A brother and sister from Andover who set fire to a rental car agency in St. Paul;
- A Rochester man who set fire to a Minneapolis pawn shop where a dead body was later found;
- A Maplewood man who set fire to a St. Paul high school.
Related Resources
Agents are still seeking identification of some of the people involved in the May uprising. Go to www.atf.gov or follow @ATFHQ
Tips can be offered to 1-800-CALLFBI (800-225-5324) or still pictures or videos sent to: fbi.gov/violence.
