St. Paul police said they stopped several vehicles without license plates on Saturday night and found “tools used to wreak havoc on our city” inside.
“Each time officers stopped the vehicles, people inside have raced away on foot,” the department said in a tweet shortly after 10 p.m.
PUBLIC SAFETY UPDATE:
Our officers have been busy stopping several vehicles driving around the city without license plates. Each time officers stopped the vehicles, people inside have raced away on foot, leaving vehicles and tools used to wreak havoc on our city behind.
— Saint Paul Police Department (@sppdmn) May 31, 2020
Officers found the cars were stolen locally and were full of rocks, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said.
Authorities last week investigated reports that outsiders have largely fueled the destruction and rioting in the Twin Cities. However, most of those arrested appeared to have Minnesota addresses.
Last night’s stopping of plate-less cars coincided with clashes between law enforcement and protestors. At one point, confrontations ensued on the Lake Street Bridge as about 1,000 protesters tried to move from Lake Street in Minneapolis to Marshall Avenue in St. Paul but were stopped by authorities firing tear gas.
