GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — A suspect has been taken into custody in connection with a series of high-profile car thefts this week in Golden Valley.
The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said a 33-year-old man was arrested Friday in Minneapolis, after being spotted by officers inside a stolen Chevy Camaro in a restaurant parking lot. Police surrounded and blocked the man's vehicle, but said he attempted to ram his way out, damaging four squad cars in the process. According to an HSCO news release, the suspect's vehicle was eventually pinned against a tree, and the man was taken into custody.
“The suspect in this case showed disregard for community members and law enforcement with his actions. We will continue to collaborate with our law enforcement partners to apprehend criminals endangering our communities.” said Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt.
Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green said the man is suspected of involvement in a break-in at Morrie's Recon Center early Tuesday morning, where several people helped to steal a total of seven cars after crashing through a garage door. The same man was also suspected of stealing a Porsche from a Golden Valley dealership on Thursday and leading officers on a brief pursuit.
“GVPD investigators learned from Minneapolis Police Department investigators that this same suspect has a criminal history of auto theft and had recently spat on officers after being taken into custody after a pursuit,” Green said in a news release.
KARE 11 is not naming the suspect because he has not been formally charged; however, the Hennepin County jail roster showed a man by the same name was released from the Hennepin County Jail on Aug. 7 following an arrest on multiple assaults, DWI, and drug charges. Publicly available court records also show the man has a history of criminal convictions, including assault, burglary, fleeing police, and auto theft, in multiple jurisdictions across Minnesota dating back more than a decade.
“It sounds like officers were shocked to find out he had been released from custody in Hennepin County and was back out in the community committing other auto theft crimes.”
Green said investigators are looking to identify seven additional suspects involved in the Morrie Recon Center theft.
"We have some very good surveillance footage that will help us identify them," Green said.
According to Green, six of the seven vehicles stolen from Morrie's Recon Center have now been recovered, including the Camaro driven by the suspect at the time of his arrest; authorities have also located the stolen Porsche. Investigators continue to search for the final stolen vehicle, a 2023 Suburu Forester.
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