University of Minnesota Students Assaulted In Dinkytown Neighborhood Friday and Saturday

(KNSI) – Two nights of unrest in the Dinkytown neighborhood give Twin Cities law enforcement a black eye after a press conference touted a crackdown on gangs earlier in the week.

College students at the University of Minnesota were the target of group assaults on Friday and Saturday nights. Six people were arrested on the first night, including an 18-year-old man who was caught with a baseball bat and fireworks.

That man was let out early Saturday afternoon after posting the $78 required, according to the Hennepin County Sheriff’s website. Less than 12 hours later, he had been apprehended again on a riot charge and is now being held without bail.

Videos are circulating online showing multiple instances with one person being surrounded by 10 to 15 individuals. Some of the victims are already knocked down where they’re then punched and kicked, cowering in a defenseless position.

The Minneapolis Police Department says it responded to an incident at around 10:38 p.m. Friday where they had to break up a physical altercation. Fifty people were ordered to disperse.

Before 11:00 p.m., they were called to a similar situation only a couple blocks away. A large group was harassing people on the sidewalk. They were ordered to go home. When the group ignored the commands, police used pepper spray and cited people for curfew violations.

No one who was arrested on Friday night was still in jail a day later. MPD has not put out a release on Saturday’s violence but participants engaged in similar behavior and at least one arrest for rioting was made.

The disturbances were only about three miles from Eastcliff, which is slated to be the temporary residence for the governor while renovations are completed at the official mansion. Eastcliff is normally the home of the president of the University of Minnesota.

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