Crime & Safety

They Only Wanted 24: Linden Hills Thieves Make Unusual Heist

A roundup of crimes and incidents reported to and by the Minneapolis Police Department on Dec. 4.

A truck owner woke up to an unpleasant—if strange—surprise on Tuesday morning in Linden Hills, according to a report filed by officers with the Minneapolis Police Department.

After parking their vehicle near the corner of 44th Street and Vincent Avenue South around 8:30 p.m. on Monday night, the driver left for the night. When they returned at 7:30 a.m. the next morning, they discovered their car was missing two wheels.

Some time during the night, unknown thieves put all four corners of the vehicle on blocks, removed the front two tires, and made off with all 24 lug nuts off each wheel. The rear two tires were left on the truck, while the culprits piled the other two on the boulevard, leaning on a tree.

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No similar thefts were reported in the area that night.

Other incidents

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A resident of the 3100 block of Aldrich Avenue South called police to report that “two black men” stole their car shortly before 1 a.m.

A resident of the 3400 block of Lyndale Avenue South discovered their car, which had been parked behind their building, was broken into some time in the last two days.

Burglars "kicked in" the side door of a house on the 5800 block of Pillsbury Avenue South between 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 3 and 7:45 p.m. on Dec. 4 and stole several items.

A resident of the 3500 block of Stevens Avenue South reported their house had been burglarized some time in the last two days. The burglar apparently cut the screen of a window, reached inside, and removed the missing item.

Burglars forced their way into a house on the 5500 block of Aldrich Avenue South between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Police stopped a car driving through the alleyways between the 4500 4400, 4300, and 4200 blocks of Harriet and Grand Avenues South. When officers confronted the driver, saying they'd seen him stealing recyclables from bins in the alley, he allegedly became angry, exclaiming that "everybody does it," including several people in his neighborhood. After he told police he was planning to steal a snow blower leaning against a garage behind the 4100 block of Harriet Avenue South, police cited him for unauthorized removal of recyclables.

Two drivers were involved in a road rage incident at the corner of West 41st Street and Aldrich Avenue South around 1:15 p.m.

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