MINNEAPOLIS — There have been several posts on apps like Nextdooor across Minneapolis where people have been sharing their harrowing experiences of recent home invasions.
Julie Wicklund has seen a lot of them, not realizing those experiences would become her reality.
"I was the victim of it this Sunday," said Wicklund.
Wicklund says it was around noon and she had just returned to her home in the Lynhurst neighborhood, and was unloading groceries from the car in her garage.
"Unfortunately our garage door was open and I did not lock the door going inside my house, I often do but I had groceries in my hands," said Wicklund.
Just as she was about to sit down to have lunch with her daughter she says a man walked in with a gun and a list of demands.
"Came in very calmly, not erratically behaving, someone who'd done this many times, and said give me your keys, I want your keys and don't look at me," said Wicklund. "My daughter and I turned around and faced the other direction and obviously were very startled, upset."
Startling moments, which triggered the family dog.
"He came into the kitchen and started attacking this man," said Wicklund. "Created a scuffle and the man said if you don't get control of your dog I'm going to shoot your dog, I'm going to kill your dog and that's when I just started screaming."
All of this playing out within a matter of minutes while her son was upstairs.
"He called 911 because he heard me screaming," said Wicklund.
Wicklund says that's when the suspect grabbed what he could, and ran with her purse, laptop and phone.
Police say no one has been arrested yet.
"We've got to catch these people, we've got to stop this, we've got to take our city back under control," said Wicklund.
Minneapolis Police say they have seen an increase in robberies and home invasions.
They're urging residents to be alert and aware of their surroundings, not to carry extra credit or debit cards that you don't need, and to keep your doors locked and alarm systems on.