A Minneapolis city council member says he is safe after being carjacked Monday. Ward 6 Council Member Jamal Osman said he was talking to his sister on the phone in his car when two juveniles approached.
"They opened my passenger door. Unfortunately it was open because I was ready to get out," Osman said Tuesday. "I must have unlocked it and he just, he had a mace, said 'hand the key to me, hand the key to me.'"
Osman says he was parked near Portland Avenue and Lake Street in South Minneapolis around 8:00 Monday night when he was carjacked.
"I'm home now in Phillips West with my family, and I want to assure neighbors that I'm okay," wrote Osman on social media. "This incident is another reminder of the work ahead to keep all of our communities safe."
In a press release Osman wrote that the two young suspects are likely connected to another carjacking earlier in the evening that involved a victim and a child.
"My heart goes out to them - no one should have to experience this kind of trauma in our city," Osman wrote.
"The mom with her child that had somebody just jump in the car, and then she's getting punched because she's just trying to protect her kid," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara described later on Tuesday. "It's just, that's totally senseless."
Osman added that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and O'Hara reached out to him after the incident.
O'Hara says the city continues to have issues with juvenile crime, and it's taking a toll on the city.
"While the overall crime in Minneapolis has declined over the last few years, we continue to see a troubling number of violent incidents, and in particular incidents that involve juveniles," O'Hara said while updating reporters Tuesday afternoon.
Police arrested two adults overnight following an armed carjacking and vehicle pursuit. There was no other information available.
"I have seen many people that had it worse, that have been hurt, and I'm very lucky to be here, and to have just amazing police officers on the street doing this every day," Osman said.
In last week's election, Osman was reelected to the council. It'll be his second term representing Ward 6 in the southeast part of the city.