Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara on Tuesday addressed two recent strings of violent robberies involving roving groups of armed assailants.

O’Hara said his officers are investigating at least 13 robberies and one car theft that are believed to be related. Five of those robberies occurred over a 15-minute span early Sunday morning, O’Hara said. Another eight armed robberies and a carjacking were reported Monday night.

Several of these crimes happened near the University of Minnesota and triggered campus safety alerts.

In all cases, groups of two to five suspects traveled in stolen vehicles and targeted victims in public spaces, O’Hara said. Investigators say there are similar suspect descriptions across both crime sprees, and MPD is looking into whether the same people were involved.

O’Hara added that investigators believe the people responsible are juvenile suspects “already known to law enforcement.”

“These patterns are deeply concerning. They create fear in our neighborhoods and are completely unacceptable,” O’Hara said. “We are treating cases with urgency and commitment across the department. Leads are being actively pursued.”

Rundown of the robberies

According to Minneapolis police, the first string of robberies happened between 2:42 a.m. and 2:57 a.m. Sunday, mainly in the Dinkytown area:

• 2:42 a.m., 14th Avenue Southeast and Fifth Street Southeast: Three or four suspects in a gray sedan reportedly stole an ID, credit card and keys.
• 2:49 a.m., 600 block of 10th Avenue Southeast: Three suspects in a gray vehicle stole a backpack.
• 2:52 a.m., 1100 block of Washington Street Northeast: Three or four suspects in a gray sedan stole a purse, wallet and keys.
• 2:55 a.m., 900 block of Fifth Street Southeast: Three suspects in a gray sedan assaulted a victim.
• 2:57 a.m., 700 block of 11th Avenue Southeast: Three or four suspects in a gold sedan stole about $90 in cash.

The second string of robberies happened in two spurts Monday night — four in the early evening and another five later in the night. These incidents were concentrated primarily in south Minneapolis, police say:

• 5:46 p.m., 3600 block of 19th Avenue South: A black Kia Sportage was stolen.
• 6:25 p.m., 3300 block of Bryant Avenue South: Three suspects in a black SUV pistol-whipped a victim and stole a purse.
• 6:33 p.m., 2500 block of Harriet Avenue: Two suspects in a black SUV stole a bag from a car.
• 6:38 p.m., 700 block of 22nd Street West: Two suspects in a black SUV carried out an armed robbery.
• 10:23 p.m., 3200 block of Girard Avenue South: Four suspects in a white sedan pistol-whipped a victim and stole a silver BMW, a purse and a phone.
• 10:25 p.m., 3200 block of Fremont Avenue South: Two or three suspects carried out an armed robbery shortly after the carjacking on Girard Avenue.
• 10:26 p.m., 1200 block of Seventh Street Southeast: Five suspects in a silver SUV threw a victim to the ground and stole their purse.
• 10:46 p.m., 2300 block of Pillsbury Avenue South: Three suspects in a silver SUV attempted to rob a victim, assaulting and pistol-whipping them in the process.
• 11:04 p.m., 3800 block of 10th Avenue South: Four or five suspects in a silver SUV assaulted and pistol-whipped a victim and stole their purse and wallet.

Anyone with information or video evidence of these incidents is asked to contact MPD at policetips@minneapolismn.gov or by calling 612-673-5845. Tipsters can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at 800-222-8477 or submitting a report online.