Minneapolis Dem Carjacked After Winning Election on ‘Restorative Justice’ Platform [WATCH]

Minneapolis City Councilman Jamal Osman was carjacked Monday night, just days after winning reelection on a platform that emphasized criminal justice reform and alternative responses to crime.

🚨 NEW: Minneapolis Council Member Jamal Osman announces that he was carjacked. pic.twitter.com/1GLl7Ua22V

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) November 12, 2025

Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed the incident Tuesday, saying two juveniles — ages 15 and 16 — were arrested after stealing Osman’s car and crashing it shortly afterward.

According to police, the suspects approached Osman, threatened him with mace, and stole his vehicle.

The two teens then collided with several cars and a fire hydrant before fleeing on foot.

Officers later captured both suspects, who are being held pending charges.

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O’Hara said one of the juveniles was already known to police and that both had participated in another carjacking earlier the same evening.

“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 told reporters.

The carjacking occurred less than a week after Osman secured reelection on November 4.

His campaign platform focused on “restorative justice programs for low-level offenses,” “violence prevention programs,” and the expansion of “alternative” responses to certain 911 calls.

Osman, who was first elected in 2020, has promoted youth mentorship and rehabilitation as central to his approach to public safety.

Speaking to reporters after the incident, Osman said that while he continues to believe in helping young offenders, accountability must be part of the equation.

“I’m not a legal expert, but there has to be some kind of consequences with the action,” Osman said.

“If individuals know they can get away [with] this kind of heinous behavior or crimes, they’re going to continue doing it again.”

Osman added that his approach to public safety includes both “prevention and also consequences,” emphasizing the need to balance compassionate programs for youth with firm enforcement of the law.

“I think we have to continue to support young kids, especially even younger-age at middle schools,” he said.

“Make sure that they have an opportunity to be mentored by adults and, you know, create after-school programs, help them with employment.”

The city councilman, a Somali refugee who fled civil war before resettling in Minnesota, thanked police for their swift response.

“Didn’t really think it was going to happen to me,” Osman said with a brief laugh.

Osman’s campaign received endorsements from prominent progressive figures, including Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar and Minnesota State Senator Omar Fateh, a self-described socialist who ran unsuccessfully for mayor.

His policy proposals have been in line with the city’s broader left-leaning push for reforms to policing and criminal justice since the 2020 unrest that followed the death of George Floyd.

Despite those efforts, crime in Minneapolis has remained elevated.

Data from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) show that in 2024, the city accounted for the majority of the state’s carjackings and homicides.

Minneapolis recorded 329 carjackings and 77 murders — the only city in Minnesota to post double-digit homicide figures.

Carjackings increased by 21 percent from the previous year, while homicides rose by 6 percent.

Those numbers, while lower than the city’s peak in 2020, remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

According to Minneapolis crime data, the city recorded 85 homicides in 2020 compared to 48 in 2019.

Police Chief O’Hara said his department will continue working with community leaders to address the surge in youth-related offenses.

Osman’s case, he said, illustrates the need for stronger collaboration between law enforcement and policymakers.

The investigation into Monday’s carjacking remains ongoing, and both juvenile suspects are expected to face multiple charges, including auto theft and assault.