20 adults charged with riot in fireworks chaos, with more charges possible
By Cole Premo, Reg Chapman, and WCCO Staff
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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — There was a major crackdown Wednesday following the Fourth of July chaos in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors charged 20 people with serious felonies for allegedly shooting fireworks at people, cars and police officers in Dinkytown.
A large-scale law enforcement detail was right in the middle of the chaos. They released video to show the public just how dangerous the use of fireworks and mortars can be.
From around 11:30 p.m. on the Fourth of July until around 3 a.m. the next day, groups of young people were using fireworks in a dangerous manner.
Police say the groups were called to Dinkytown through social media posts. It led to young people between the ages of 15 and 23 making their way to the area.
Twenty people were charged a week later, and the narrative behind those charges differs based on what group they were in.
“So, there’s some places where we were trying to get people to just leave, they kept refusing, kept setting up. Essentially, we conducted and video individuals engaging in this activity and then with the help of the patrol, came in and arrested everyone that was a part of it,” said Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara.
Group one was in the area of Fourth Street Southeast and 15th Avenue Southeast and were seen lighting and throwing fireworks and mortars at officers, people walking by and vehicles. When officers approached, the group ran, only to be caught a short time later.
Group two was in a surface lot on the 600 block of 12th Avenue Southeast. Police used drones to capture footage of the group standing outside a vehicle launching fireworks in multiple directions. They jumped in the car as police approached, shooting fireworks into the street where people were walking.Police eventually caught up to them.
Group three was near 12th Avenue Southeast and Sixth Street Southeast, shooting commercial grade fireworks into the air, towards people, vehicles and eventually police officers.
One mortar thrown at officers landed underneath a car and exploded.
Most of those charged face felony riot charges armed with dangerous weapons.
The majority of those arrested were not from the Twin Cities and included some from out of state.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says more people may still face charges.
If convicted, those charged with rioting could face five years in prison and or a $10,000 dollar fine.
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