MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — A teenage boy is in custody in connection to the carjacking of teenage sisters Monday evening at a Twin Cities gas station. Golden Valley police say it happened at the Speedway on the 1900 block of Douglas Drive North at about 8:37 p.m. The 16-year-old sister told investigators she was filling her 2018 Lexus RX with gas, while her 14-year-old sister stayed inside the vehicle. The girls say a boy, who police describe as a “15-year-old white male suspect from Buffalo, MN,” came up to the Lexus, showed the 14-year-old a gun and demanded the keys. He then drove off, leaving th ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) – Bloomington Public Schools Emergency Management and Communications Director Rick Kaufman knows the pain of experiencing a school shooting firsthand. In 1999, he was less than a year into a career with Jeffco (Colorado) schools when two students shot and killed more than a dozen classmates and staff members. More than two decades later, Kaufman is still working to make good on a promise he made that day. Since 2000, he has worked to consult with school districts across the nation on how to both prevent and respond to situations of violence. “I made a promise to the v ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — Officials in Bloomington say a hotel was evacuated Tuesday morning because of a chemical spill in the pool area. It happened on the 5100 block of American Boulevard West. The Bloomington Fire Department said the spill was contained and the building is being vented. Haz-mat Incident- 5100 block of American Blvd. Chemical spill In the pool area of an occupied hotel. Occupants have been evacuated and building is being vented. Spill is contained & off-gassing of chemicals has been stopped. Two employees being evaluated by @AllinaEMS. pic.twitter.com/QHu5DDjrwn — Bl ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — Authorities are investigating a house fire that happened in Bloomington Friday afternoon. According to the Bloomington Fire Department, the fire happened on the 8900 block of Knox Avenue. Crews noted heavy fire coming from the back of the home when they arrived. Few other details were immediately available but the fire department said that one occupant was taken to a local hospital ..read more

Originally published on May 5 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — A shooting in Bloomington Thursday night led to a police chase and crash that injured innocent people on an Eagan exit ramp. Bloomington police say officers were called to the 8500 block of 2nd Avenue at about 7 p.m. on a report of shots fired at a home. No one inside was hurt, and a witness was able to give a description that led officers to the suspect vehicle. A chase ensued, and the suspect vehicle ended up crashing into another vehicle on the exit ramp of Highway 77 at Cliff Road. Police arrested the driver and their passenger, and ..read more

HASTINGS, Minn. (WCCO) — Two Twin Cities men are charged in connection to the fentanyl-related death of an Eagan teen. The Dakota County Attorney’s Office says 29-year-old Jamal Ahmed Adan, from Burnsville, and 27-year-old Sadiq Aden Isack, from Bloomington, provided 16-year-old Hunter Verner Carlson with pills he believed to be Percocet, which caused his death on the night of Jan. 27, 2021. The criminal complaint states that Carlson’s mother found him face down and unresponsive the next morning. First responders were unable to resuscitate him. Investigators learned that Carlson’s teen neighbo ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — A man is in custody for allegedly robbing a Twin Cities credit union earlier this week. The Bloomington Police Department says that the Top Line Credit Union, located on the 5200 block of Viking Drive in the southern Minneapolis suburb, was robbed Thursday afternoon. Investigators say that a man entered the building wearing a medical mask and sunglasses. He told the workers that he had a bomb and demanded cash. The next day, Bloomington detectives stopped a car in the city and arrested a 40-year-old resident on an outstanding warrant, police say. A follow-up search ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — A Twin Cities man faces assault and trespassing charges after threatening a hotel employee with a “wizard wand,” court documents show. Skylar Eros Dupree Thomas, 29, of Woodbury is charged with fifth-degree assault and trespassing, both misdemeanors, according to a criminal complaint. Skylar Thomas (credit: Hennepin County) Just after midnight Friday, Bloomington police responded to a Hyatt Place hotel on a report of a person with a weapon. The suspect, identified as Thomas, told police he had a “wand.” “From previous calls, [the officer] knew that the defendant w ..read more

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Two former militia members have been sentenced to prison terms after admitting to throwing a pipe bomb into a Bloomington mosque five years ago. On Aug. 5, 2017, Michael McWhorter and Joe Morris threw a pipe bomb into the window of an imam’s office of Dar Al Farooq mosque in Bloomington. McWhorter was sentenced to 16 years in prison Tuesday, and Morris was sentenced to a little over 14 years in prison. On Tuesday, faith leaders, including in the Muslim community, asked for leniency in the sentence. Five victims’ impact statement were read Tuesday morning, including three f ..read more

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) — Bloomington Animal Control fielded several reports Wednesday of a black bear seen in the city’s west side. City officials say the animal was spotted north of Bush Lake and Southeast Anderson Lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources believes the bear is just passing through the area and likely won’t “pose a direct threat or be aggressive.” If any aggressive behaviors are spotted, stay away and call 911. Experts advise against approaching bears or trying to get them to move away. Residents should also remove any food or food-related items on patios and deck ..read more