2 juveniles may be linked to string of burglaries

Two 13-year-old boys were arrested with burglary tools last week in Marcy Holmes — an area hit by a recent string of burglaries.

Minneapolis police found tools for prying open doors, cutting wires and cutting locks in the boys’ possession after they attempted to run from officers on Eighth Avenue Southeast, according to a police report.

Minneapolis police Sgt. Steve McCarty said the juveniles could be suspects in the burglaries that have plagued the Marcy-Holmes and Southeast Como neighborhoods. McCarty said the juveniles’ tools were consistent with the break-ins reported in the neighborhoods in the past month.

The Minnesota Daily previously reported a total of 49 burglaries in the two neighborhoods in July — a five-year high.

Minneapolis police will investigate any connection between the boys and the burglaries, but it’s too early to tell, McCarty said.

“Without any forensic evidence tying them to any burglaries, or them admitting to additional burglaries, it would be hard to prove,” McCarty said.

The arrests could be a direct result of increased patrols in the area, McCarty said. Police have focused on patrols for suspicious people who may be committing burglaries or thefts in the area.

The two boys are currently being held in a juvenile supervision center while they await official charges. Each faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $5,000.

Bystander hit in Dinkytown fight

A University of Minnesota student suffered fractures in his face after trying to avoid a fight that broke out in front of Mesa Pizza early Thursday morning.

Steven Carlson, a second-year graduate student, was walking home at about 3 a.m. when he walked past an argument on the sidewalk in front of the Dinkytown pizza joint.

Carlson stopped to help a woman who had been knocked to the ground in the scrum and then tried to get out of the way. However, the argument escalated, and one of the men threw a punch, Carlson said.

The man’s intended target ducked, and Carlson was hit in the face and knocked unconscious.

He was taken to the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview, where he was treated for broken bones in his cheek and nose.

“I wasn’t trying to break up anything, I was just trying to help a girl get off the sidewalk that was accidently hit, and then I got hit,” Carlson said.

Witnesses told police that Carlson was simply an innocent bystander, said University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner.

Details on how and why the fight started are not available. Miner said one suspect was last seen walking west on Fourth Street Southeast with another man, but there is little other information beyond a brief physical description.­­­