MINNEAPOLIS — Newly released body camera footage shows Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and other MPD officers chasing down and apprehending a carjacking suspect following a chase last week on the city's southside.
The suspect was one of two juveniles charged in connection with stealing a Kia and a drive-by shooting outside Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters.
During an interview with KARE 11's Jana Shortal last week, Chief O'Hara discussed the chase and juvenile violence as a whole.
"This is the crisis that we're facing in the city," said Chief O'Hara. "We know a lot of these kids that are out here that are really at risk that we are encountering a number of times."
ABOVE: An extended interview with Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara, who discusses the rise in stolen cars, illegal guns and the increasing number of kids involved in these crimes.
Chief O'Hara said many of the juveniles known to officers are committing multiple crimes with little to no consequence.
"For the past year, they have been allowed to continue to wreak havoc in our neighborhoods with no recourse and no consequences," he said. "We cannot continue to tolerate this behavior."
While two juveniles were charged in this case, there have been several other cases where no charges were filed. Earlier this month, after a violent weekend in Dinkytown, MPD arrested multiple people but didn't forward any of the cases to be prosecuted.
In the current system, when a juvenile is arrested police bring them to a juvenile detention center, which will only book teens for certain crimes. At that point, there is a period of time in which police need to send the case to a prosecutor. If the prosecutor chooses to charge, a judge will decide whether to keep a juvenile detained or release them to a parent with conditions until trial.
"Let's say they're released, the question is then how long does it take to resolve the case? And I think that's a big gap here. It can take months," said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty during an interview with KARE 11's Lou Raguse. "Those are the youth that aren't getting any resources whatsoever, because their case hasn't been resolved yet. And I think those are some of the youth that law enforcement and community are seeing coming in on repeated car thefts."
ABOVE: Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty Moriarty discusses the drive-by shooting outside Minneapolis Public School headquarters, the juvenile suspects charged and the criminal juvenile justice system.
Moriarty says her office is trying to close that gap — working with MPD on possibly reinstating a diversion program among other ideas — because she thinks drawn-out court cases are ineffective for teens.
"I've spoken to Chief O'Hara a number of times and we both agree that the juvenile system — as it has been working — is not working right now, particularly in the area of the car thefts," said Moriarty. " ... For youth, they need really quick intervention. And they then need quick consequences."
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: