By Anthony Gockowski and Liz Collin
MINNEAPOLIS – Mike Woodley’s car was stolen right in front of him on a cold January morning in Edina (a suburb of Minneapolis). A hockey coach, Woodley was dropping off some gear to a fellow coach at a hotel around 6:30 a.m. He parked in front of the hotel and left his car running. It was a “well-lit” area and he intended to quickly run in to the lobby to meet his friend, so he figured he’d be safe.
Within seconds, a Lexus with no plates drove up alongside his car, like it was waiting. A juvenile suspect hopped out and drove away with Woodley’s Ford Escape.
The suspects drove the stolen vehicle to the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, where police are discouraged from pursuing vehicles. “Obviously the suspects knew that,” Woodley said.
According to Minneapolis police, the city experienced an “alarming” 700 auto thefts during the first month of the year.
Woodley’s stolen car was tracked later that morning to the Midway Motel in St. Paul, but the suspects were never caught and likely wouldn’t have faced any meaningful punishment anyway, Woodley said. He said staff at the motel weren’t able to provide any useful information to police. A staff member at the motel told Alpha News that they “help police when they ask.”
“It seems to me the new game, instead of playing sports and picking teams, is going to steal cars, break into houses, beat up old people. That’s what I’m hearing,” Woodley said on Liz Collin Reports.
The St. Paul native said he’s ready to leave Minnesota behind.
“I can’t take this stuff anymore. I’m looking to move to Hayward, Wis., retire and get out of here. I can’t believe what’s happened to my hometown of St Paul. It’s become a real cesspool … It’s really, really sad,” he explained.
Woodley described himself as an apolitical person who believes this issue should transcend party politics.
“It’s disgusting. I don’t know what you can do about it because there doesn’t seem to be an effort to change it,” he said. “I don’t even think it is politics. It’s just what’s being allowed to happen. How can anyone enjoy this? How can anybody actually think this is some good thing?
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This article originally appeared at Alpha News.
