Minneapolis police say motor vehicle thefts up 24% compared to this time last year

Two women have been arrested for their alleged involvement in the death of a decorated U.S. Army veteran.

Amos Ferrier, 38, was responding to an attempted auto theft in south Minneapolis on Friday. Police say Ferrier, who was an Army medic, confronted the suspects as they tried to steal his car. He was either struck by or jumped on the hood of the suspects’ getaway car.

Ferrier was badly hurt and later died after he was thrown from the hood, police say.

So far this year, the Minneapolis Police Department has seen about 2,300 motor vehicle thefts. That’s a 24% increase from this time last year.

“Post-2020, post-George Floyd, all that stuff, the auto thefts went on a huge increase,” said Bryan Hermerding, a lieutenant who supervises the auto theft task force for Hennepin County.

This year, the sheriff’s office officially teamed up with the Edina, Minnetonka and St. Louis Park police departments to crack down on car crimes

“Outside of Minneapolis, we’ve seen a significant decrease in auto thefts in some ofthose suburban cities,” he said.

Through April, the task force has recovered 228 stolen vehicles and arrested 72 people, primarily kids.

“Any time that you can multiply resources and get people working on the same page and working together towards one common goal is huge,” he said.

While Minneapolis isn’t a part of the task force, Hermerding says they do work together and there have been talks of them joining.