MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Minneapolis police say a 10-year-old boy has been arrested after stealing a car and driving recklessly near a crowded school playground, nearly hitting children who were playing outside.

What we know

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said on Friday morning that the incident happened on Sept. 20 at the playground outside of Nellie Stone Johnson School in north Minneapolis. 

Police say surveillance footage shows the boy driving the stolen vehicle back and forth on the grass behind the playground before moving onto the sidewalk, just feet away from the playground, with children playing and standing nearby. No children were struck by the 10-year-old driver, according to a press release.

Chief O’Hara said the boy was identified as the driver on Thursday and has been arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Juvenile Detention on probable cause of second-degree assault.

Digging deeper

This isn’t the first time the 10-year-old boy has been accused of stealing a car. Police explained the boy had been arrested on at least two other occasions for crimes related to auto theft. Chief O’Hara added that the 10-year-old is listed as a suspect in more than a dozen other cases, including for auto theft, assault with a dangerous weapon and robbery. 

The boy has a criminal history dating back to May 2023, with around 30 records—most of which are runaway incidents. O’Hara said the 10-year-old’s family is cooperating with law enforcement and has asked for help to “keep their son or anyone else from being injured or killed,” according to a press release. 

What they’re saying 

Chief O’Hara expressed concern about the child’s alleged repeated criminal activity and released a statement saying:

“It is unfathomable that a 10-year-old boy has had this level of criminal activity without effective intervention. Prison is not an acceptable option for a 10-year-old boy. But the adults who can stop this behavior going forward must act now. This is only one example of the revolving door we’re dealing with – arresting and re-arresting the same juveniles for auto-theft and other violent crimes. This is a complex issue, and we need every entity involved in intervention to come together immediately to establish short- and long-term solutions.”

What we don’t know 

Police have not yet revealed details about when or how the car was stolen or how long the child was allegedly driving it. 

Additionally, further information on the boy’s other suspected crimes has not been released.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – A man has been charged in an attack at a Minneapolis homeless shelter in September that left three people injured. 

These charges come after a different man was mistakenly identified as the suspect and was charged. The charges were dropped against that man by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office when the mistake was learned. 

READ MORE: Homeless shelter attacked in Minneapolis, 2 facing charges

Travin Willie Merritt, 30, has now been charged for his role in the attack. He is charged with four counts of second-degree assault, one count of second-degree riot and one count of carrying a gun without a permit. 

Attack caught on camera

According to the charges, Minneapolis police responded to a disturbance outside of St. Anne’s Place, a homeless shelter for women and children in the city on Sept. 5. Once officers arrived at the scene, they found multiple people standing outside the building. Police then reviewed surveillance footage of the incident. 

Surveillance footage shows the group of victims running into the shelter, and a few minutes later, Merritt walks towards the building and points a firearm at the door, court documents say. 

Two of the victims, one of them holding an infant, were just inside the door where Merritt was allegedly pointing his firearm, the charges said. 

Merritt then fires his gun at one of the victim’s unoccupied cars. 

Earlier altercation

According to the charges, one of the victims told officers she and another victim had gotten into an earlier altercation with a group of women across the street from the shelter. 

The group of women had reportedly come out of their house, yelling at the victim to move her car. The altercation then became physical. At some point during the altercation, Merritt became involved and hit one of the victims in the face and back of the head with his gun, court documents say. 

He also hit another victim several times in the back of the head and fired two shots in the air. 

The victims then retreated into the shelter as they were being chased by a group of women. An employee of St. Anne’s Place told officers she helped the victims close the door behind them, so the group couldn’t chase them inside. The employee then reportedly heard Merritt threaten to shoot the women and children. 

Suspect misidentified

The male suspect was previously mistakenly identified as a different man, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said. The other man has a similar physical description, vehicle, and has a known relationship with Merritt’s co-defendant, Eureka Riser. 

The investigation ultimately showed that the other man was at a different location at the time of the incident and was not involved. So the charges were dropped against him. 

Riser was charged with second-degree riot and criminal damage to property for her role in the attack. Riser used a baseball bat to hit the front door of St. Anne’s Place during the altercation, causing around $10,000 in damage.

What’s next? 

Merritt will have his first court appearance on Oct. 4. Riser’s next court appearance is on Nov. 6.