Minneapolis police investigate hit-and-run outside mosque as possible hate crime as search for suspect continues

CNN
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Minneapolis police are investigating a hit-and-run pedestrian crash outside a mosque as a possible targeted bias crime and are searching for the suspect who fled the area, Police Chief Brian O’Hara said Wednesday.

The 36-year-old victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital, a police press release said.

Just before noon Wednesday, the man was in the parking lot of the Alhikma Islamic Center in south Minneapolis, retrieving items from his car when a minivan drove toward him at a high rate of speed, police said. According to police, he was trying to escape when the driver of the minivan swerved and hit him.

“Based on the information our investigators have gathered so far, I am concerned that this crime may be motivated by bias,” O’Hara said. “We do not tolerate crime in our city. But hate crimes and crimes against our places of worship are particularly troubling because they cause widespread fear and potential division among our citizens.”

According to the press release, officers are working to locate the suspect and the van. Police patrols in the area have also been increased to protect those entering and leaving the place of worship. O’Hara said police department leadership is in contact with the mosque’s imam and staff, as well as community leaders.

O’Hara said the suspect was known to investigators because he had a “history of trespassing and erratic behavior at the mosque and in the neighborhood.”

CNN has reached out to the Minneapolis Police Department for further information on the investigation.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations says the victim is one of its employees who was attacked by a man who, according to CAIR has harassed the mosque and its believers several times in the past three years.

“This obviously intentional attack outside a religious institution must be investigated as a possible hate crime,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota. “We call for increased security measures and heightened vigilance at Islamic institutions across the state.”

The department describes the suspect as “a slim, black man in his late 30s wearing a brown shirt and black glasses” and He was driving a 2002 Silver Windstar minivan. The investigation and search for the suspect is ongoing, and the department has asked the public for information.

The hit-and-run occurred just over a year after a man allegedly set fire to two mosques in Minneapolis. The damage likely totaled tens of thousands of dollars, according to an affidavit against him.

Last month, the Council on American-Islamic Relations announced that it had received 8,061 complaints about incidents of anti-Muslim bias in 2023 – the highest number in the 28 years CAIR has tracked hate.