Last weekend, Minneapolis' finest hauled a dozen illicit firearms off the streets from individuals violating the law or too drunk to handle a gun, intensifying their campaign against the city's gun violence. The recovery kicked off Friday when First-Precinct officers found a man snoozing behind the wheel with a gun atop his lap, resulting in a swift arrest on weapons charges.
In the same precinct and later that day, cops recognized a felon with an outstanding warrant. Approaching him, they discovered he and his partner were armed. The wanted man was booked while his buddy got off with just a name tag, pending further investigation. Meanwhile, over in the Fourth Precinct, a security guard found himself on the wrong side of the bars after committing robbery.
According to a Facebook post by the Minneapolis Police Department, the following day saw more firearms retrieved; this time it involved a convicted felon in a car with a visible gun that landed him in custody. A routine traffic stop escalated when another visible gun and a second, stolen weapon modified for automatic fire, led to multiple bookings on weapons and narcotics violations.
Sunday painted a similar picture as an officer in First Precinct spotted another gun in an unattended vehicle, which they had towed. Chaos ensued at a nightclub in the Fourth Precinct, but officers arriving too late found another set of firearms discarded in a trashcan—two equipped for automatic fire. Before the weekend wrapped, Third Precinct officers dealt with a dozing, intoxicated driver armed with a gun living dangerously beside him, resulting in his arrest.
The relentless sweep underscores the stark challenge law enforcement faces in a city where guns seem as abundant as the lakes dotting the Minnesota landscape. From the dozing drivers to the nightclubs, it appears no corner of Minneapolis was untouched by the presence of unlawful arms last weekend, with the police working around the clock to stem the iron tide sweeping their city.
