Four Suspects Escape Into Woods After Armed Carjacking, Police Pursuit, And Crash In Brooklyn Park

BROOKLYN PARK, MN (May 24, 2026) What began as a violent armed robbery in Minneapolis’ Dinkytown neighborhood before dawn Sunday escalated into a cross-metro police pursuit, a crashed stolen vehicle, and a sprawling tactical search operation in Brooklyn Park that ended with four suspects disappearing into dense woods before officers could capture them.

The incident unfolded in the early morning hours as much of the Twin Cities remained quiet before sunrise.

According to preliminary information released by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Brooklyn Park Police Department, Minneapolis officers were first dispatched around 4:20 a.m. to reports of an armed robbery and carjacking in the Dinkytown area near the University of Minnesota campus.

Investigators say a male victim was physically assaulted during the encounter before suspects stole his vehicle at gunpoint. Authorities have not publicly identified the victim or disclosed the extent of injuries suffered during the assault.

Roughly 30 minutes later, the investigation rapidly expanded into the north metro suburbs.

At approximately 4:50 a.m., a Brooklyn Park police officer spotted the stolen vehicle traveling westbound near Edinbrook Terrace. When the officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop, authorities say the driver accelerated away, refusing to pull over.

The pursuit continued only briefly before ending violently near the 8600 block of Zane Avenue North, where investigators say the driver lost control and crashed the vehicle off the roadway.

But the crash did not end the incident.

According to police accounts, four occupants immediately exited the disabled vehicle and fled on foot into a nearby wooded area, triggering a large-scale containment and tracking effort involving multiple law enforcement resources.

Brooklyn Park officers established a perimeter around the wooded terrain as neighboring agencies assisted in the search operation. Authorities deployed two K-9 tracking teams in an attempt to follow scent trails through the brush while a police drone was launched overhead to scan the area from the air.

Despite the saturation response and coordinated tactical search, all four suspects managed to evade capture.

As daylight approached Sunday morning, authorities confirmed the suspects remained at large.

Investigators later searched the abandoned vehicle at the crash scene and recovered a firearm from inside, according to reporting by KSTP-TV. Law enforcement officials believe the weapon may have been connected to the original armed robbery and carjacking in Dinkytown, though investigators have not publicly confirmed whether ballistic testing or additional forensic analysis has tied the firearm directly to the assault. (kstp.com)

Authorities have not yet released descriptions of the four suspects, nor have they publicly stated whether investigators believe the group may be connected to additional robberies, vehicle thefts, or violent crimes elsewhere in the metro area.

The investigation remains active and is being conducted jointly by the Minneapolis Police Department and the Brooklyn Park Police Department.

The incident adds to continuing concerns among Twin Cities law enforcement agencies surrounding armed robberies, carjackings, illegal firearms possession, and coordinated vehicle theft activity, crimes that continue to place increasing pressure on regional police departments already navigating staffing shortages and rising demands for interagency enforcement operations.

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