Six juveniles have been arrested after a string of violent robberies and two crashes on I-94 Tuesday afternoon.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, officers were alerted to a robbery at gunpoint on the 5100 block of 41 Avenue South around 11:30 a.m. Shortly after, they responded to a second robbery at gunpoint on the 3400 block of Bloomington Avenue.

During that robbery, shots were fired at a victim from one of the vehicles involved, but no one was hit by gunfire.

A third robbery at gunpoint happened around 1:30 p.m. near 24th Street and Pleasant Avenue.

Police say that the similarities between the three robberies led to the activation of the Crime Pattern Response Protocol.

MPD officers, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Patrol began searching the area for the vehicles involved. Multiple 911 calls reported the cars driving recklessly in the First and Fifth precincts.

One of the cars was found, and officers initiated a stop. However, the vehicle drove away, and a pursuit was initiated. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed on I-94 westbound near Cedar Avenue.

Officials say that four people in the car ran from the scene but were apprehended by officers.

Nearby, a second stolen vehicle crashed and two people running from the car were also apprehended. Authorities state that officers were not in pursuit of the second vehicle.

Three other vehicles were involved in the crashes and no injuries were reported.

“Our Crime Pattern Response protocol continues to be an effective strategy to quickly locate and arrest those committing crimes of violence in Minneapolis,” O’Hara said. “The fact that I see this activity continuing with children so young – despite all our efforts – is incredibly frustrating and highlights the urgent need for action. I am grateful for the immediate response of law enforcement in finding and arresting these juveniles before they could cause more harm to members than of our community or themselves.”

Police say a total of six juveniles were arrested — three boys aged 11, 12 and 13, two 14-year-old girls and a 12-year-old girl. All the juveniles were brought to nearby hospitals for non-life-threatening injuries and will be booked into the Juvenile Detention Center.

Authorities state the 12-year-old boy had multiple prior contacts with Minneapolis police. The others involved had limited or no prior contact with law enforcement and will be referred to juvenile diversion programs.

Police are investigating each juvenile’s role in the robberies and if they were involved in any other activity.

“It’s a really urgent problem that demands, you know, people taking action immediately, not, you know, kind of sending the kid back to the environment, and then having somebody follow up a few days later. It just doesn’t work,” O’Hara said. “Two most common things that I hear from a lot of residents and from a lot of parents, one is just a feeling that there is not enough access to positive recreational activities… The other is just, you know, not enough support for these organizations or enough connectedness to the organizations that do want to try and help.”

The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office also released a statement regarding the incidents:

“While no cases related to the arrest of six youth on Oct. 8 have been submitted to our office for charging consideration yet, we are aware that five youth were booked yesterday on auto theft. We are in close communication with law enforcement regarding this incident and will conduct expedited case reviews when they are submitted.”