Another surveillance camera triumph, as reported in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and posted at Power Line:
According to the criminal complaint filed Monday in Hennepin County District Court, the victim boarded the bus at 7th St. and Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis. Six to 10 young males in the back of the bus surrounded him and taunted him, making repeated references to his race (the victim is white, the suspects black). When the bus stopped at 34th and Fremont, they grabbed him and pulled him off, the complaint said. They punched and kicked the victim, breaking his wallet chain and fleeing with the wallet, which contained $17.
He ran to a nearby convenience store and called 911. He suffered scrapes and bruises to his face, forehead, hands and back, the complaint said.
Video surveillance from the bus shows the group dragging the victim onto the sidewalk, according to Metro Transit police.
“It was outrageous,” said Metro Transit police Capt. Dave Indrehus. “The victim in this case was totally innocent, had nothing to do with these parties.”
The video shows that other bus passengers did not try to intervene, Indrehus said. “Quite frankly, I don’t know if I would blame them,” he said. “You may end up becoming a victim yourself.”
Remember the benefits of video surveillance:
- It’s cheap.
- It provides evidence.
- It puts no law enforcement personnel at risk.
Doesn’t help that poor kid much, though, does it?
Also, special kudos to the police captain for praising the non-intervention of the citizens on the bus. Keep ’em docile.
