MPD officer shot, 4 arrested after pursuit in north Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS -- A Minneapolis police officer is now safe at home with his family, after police said he was ambushed and shot while driving an unmarked vehicle.
The Minneapolis Police Department said the 7-year veteran was pursuing a vehicle tied to a robbery.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey surveyed the scene Saturday, where police said the officer was ambushed.
"When you have more than ten rounds that are unloaded at a police officer, when you have any form of gun violence in our city, every single person needs to be standing up to say that this kind of thing is unacceptable," said Mayor Jacob Frey.
Tonight a 7-year veteran of the MPD assigned to 4th Precinct CRT was shot in the line of duty. Personnel from MPD, our local LE partners, and many from nearby agencies gathered at NMMC in solidarity to show support and honor our officer once he was discharged from the hospital. pic.twitter.com/EUI8p9q69O
— Minneapolis Police (@MinneapolisPD) August 12, 2023
According to police, it was just before 8:00 pm Friday that officers began pursuing an SUV allegedly tied to a robbery in Brooklyn Park from the day before.
The driver took off, but an hour later, an officer in an unmarked vehicle began tailing that SUV.
At 42nd Avenue North and Colfax Avenue North, police said that the officer was ambushed, with someone firing 14 rounds from an automatic firearm.
MORE NEWS: One dead, six others injured in south Minneapolis shooting
After getting shot in the back shoulder, the officer drove to an intersection near Memorial Parkway and Fremont Ave.
"He stopped at the next traffic light, where backup officers then took him out of his car and to the hospital," said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara.
While being pursued by other officers, the SUV crashed at 21st Avenue North and Upton Avenue North. Two men, one woman and a boy under 18 were taken into custody.
Police said a "ghost gun," a handgun without a serial number, was recovered from the suspect vehicle.
O'Hara said it's unknown whether the suspects knew they were firing at a cop or not.
"I cannot say whether the suspects in the vehicle believed he was the police or believed he was someone else, but it was clear from what happened that they were trying to kill whoever was in that car," said O'Hara.
Overnight, the officer was released from the hospital, just hours after being shot. MPD said they will not be releasing that officer's name.
"What happened here yesterday is absolutely outrageous, and not just here, the seven people who were shot on the south side. It's completely senseless," said O'Hara.