A pedestrian was struck and injured by a minivan in the parking lot of a mosque in south Minneapolis on Wednesday afternoon, and police say they are investigating it as a possible targeted hate crime.
Police were called to the pedestrian collision that occurred just before noon at the Alhikma Islamic Center, at 116 E 32nd St., according to a news release from the Minneapolis Police Department.
The man was in the parking lot getting items from his car when the suspect drove the minivan toward him at a high rate of speed, police said. The man tried to run out of the way before the minivan swerved and hit him.
The driver of the van then left the area, police said.
The injured 36-year-old man was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He is a staff member for the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR said in a statement calling for this to be investigated as a bias crime.
O’Hara said in the release that investigators are familiar with the suspect, and the release described him as a man with a “history of offending and erratic behavior at the mosque and in the neighborhood.”
Police said they are now investigating the incident as a possible bias crime.
“We will not tolerate any crime in our city, but hate crimes and crimes against our places of worship are particularly troubling because of the very real widespread fear they cause and the potential division they cause among our residents,” O’Hara said in a speech. the release.
Additional officers are working to locate the suspect and the van, and police patrols have been increased in the area to protect those coming and going from this place of worship, the news release said.
Minneapolis police are asking for the public’s help in locating the suspect, who police say is in his late 30s. He was driving a silver 2002 Ford Windstar minivan with Minnesota license plate ESL 101, police said.
Police ask anyone who sees a vehicle with this description to call 911 immediately. Those with information can also call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
