Minneapolis Cell Phone Robberies

[David in MN]

This is a preventative notice but I hope this doesn't expand beyond my neck of the woods.

18 people (some as young as 15) have been charged in what appears to be an organized crime ring for stealing cell phones. Brief story here.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/09/16/eighteen-people-charged-in-two-violent-minneapolis-robberies

It seems they have one person make contact and chat up the mark while the others encircle him and proceed to beat him senseless. As in one victim had a potted plant broken over his head.

The whole point of the assaults is to get the cell phone which can be turned in at a company called ecoATM self drop kiosk for cash. It's little more than a strongarm robbery for a few bucks. But the extreme violence (some of the security camera footage comes real close to attempted murder) and the fact that victims are basically left for dead unconscious in their underwear got some publicity which in turn lit a fire under Minneapolis PD and hopefully it's being cleaned up.

Like I said, this has so far been confined to Minneapolis (not even St. Paul) but it's a good reminder because we all have been the dummy walking out of a nightclub or a baseball game (2 big targets of this group) with our head in the phone checking messages or getting an Uber.

[fritz_monroe]

Good reminder.  It disgusts me that people will practically kill someone for just a couple bucks.

[LvsChant]

Good reminder.  It disgusts me that people will practically kill someone for just a couple bucks.

^^^ This.

[David in MN]

Actually the violence was the problem. Had this organized crime syndicate had the good sense to merely threaten violence and walk away with the phone they could have operated for years. But you show the public at large a video where a guy gets cold cocked, stripped to his underwear, a planter broken over his head, and run over by bicycles it doesn't play well.

Add to that the mundane fact that we all have phones and it was a real call to action. One of those rare circumstances where local news bothered the police brass.

Hopefully it's over and done but it can't be overstated that the money from the phones in no way sustained all 8 attackers let alone their families so the violence is actually the root cause. Random violence is scary.

[iam4liberty]

Random attacks like this are becoming common in certain cities; Minneapolis, Detroit, Portland, Kansas City MO, and parts of New York (Bronx esp.).  I've seen at least a dozen of these attacks posted on social media for Minneapolis. But that is nothing compared to the near daily random hits in New York.  Here is one from a couple days ago:

https://twitter.com/NYPD71Pct/status/1178826988808802304

[DDJ]

Remember the knock out game.  This one just have a profit for the  bad guys.

[iam4liberty]

Watch the video in below article.  That is an example of what is happening regularly in Oregon.  The littlest thing can set them off.  This is a rare example of an actual arrest.  Most of the time they are let go under Mayors' orders.

https://www.oregonlive.com/crime/2019/10/mother-who-slashed-strangers-throat-during-taco-bell-beef-in-sandy-sentenced-to-7-years.html

Only seven years (more like five given mandatory reductions) and this psychopath who smiles for mug shots will be back on the streets.



I just dont understand the mindset of people in these areas allowing this to continue.

[iam4liberty]

Welcome to Brooklyn.  Remember codes yellow and red!

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1187454435611430913?s=19

[David in MN]

Welcome to Brooklyn.  Remember codes yellow and red!

https://twitter.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1187454435611430913?s=19

I can wrap my head around stealing bread to feed the kids or a jealous crime of passion in the heat of the moment but a teen boy waiting until some lady has her back turned to push her into a train? That's getting close to attempted murder. And definitely premeditated.

Those of us who had the "city kid" experience have always lived wary of pickpockets and the rare strongarm thug but to have the overt violence be the act in itself feels very foreign. I would hope the proliferation of martial arts and MMA would make these goons think twice but as my my middle and bantam weight friends would say "only us heavyweights are advertising it". Still I'd like to see these thugs run into Holly Holm.

[iam4liberty]

Now, now he is just misunderstood.  Its not like he has a record of dangerous and disruptive behavior...oh.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Subway-Shove-Brooklyn-DeKalb-Flatbush-Avenue-563781991.html

In response to the shocking video, New York City Transit Chief Andy Byford called it "unacceptable" that the individual is allowed to keep using the subways.

“Enough is enough. This individual is a criminal and it’s unacceptable that he be allowed to continue to create mayhem on the subways, mayhem he admits is deliberate, that puts riders’ and MTA employees’ lives at risk. He should be banned from the system – period," Byford said in a statement.

Police said they were familiar with Thompson because of his extensive history of wreaking havoc in the subways, including his previous arrest for pulling the emergency brakes on trains earlier this year that disrupted the commutes for thousands of riders.

Thompson was most recently arrested for riding on the outside of a northbound 5 train from the Brooklyn Bridge stop to Union Square. He also has been accused of exposing himself to riders while subway surfing, among more than a dozen other prior arrests.

[cmxterra]

Remind me again why no one needs standard cap mags?

[Docwatmo]

Remind me again why no one needs standard cap mags?

Exactly.  We just had someone get jumped by 20+ people in Des Moines.  Just random act of violence.  Some idiot on the newspaper page was saying what good wood a gun do against 20 people?  It only has to hit the first couple and the rest would scatter like the lowlife coward cockroaches they are. 

[cmxterra]

Exactly.  We just had someone get jumped by 20+ people in Des Moines.  Just random act of violence.  Some idiot on the newspaper page was saying what good wood a gun do against 20 people?  It only has to hit the first couple and the rest would scatter like the lowlife coward cockroaches they are.

Yup.. if the groups are getting that large might be time to carry an AR pistol.

[whatmecrazy]

It seems like things around the country are getting frosty!  Andy Ngo is killing it btw.