Golden Valley Police Arrest Stolen Vehicle Suspect
An Eden Prairie man is due in court later this month accused of stealing a car and stealing a gun from a vehicle in a Golden Valley apartment garage.
Golden Valley police arrested Hussein Hassan, 31, on Nov. 1 after he was found slumped over in a car in a turn lane of Highway 55 at Theodore Wirth Parkway.
Police say the red 2005 Toyota Corolla that Hassan was in was determined to be stolen after officers found a Minnesota license plate beneath the vehicle’s Wisconsin license plate. Burglary tools used to break into vehicles and a gun were also found in the car, police said.
Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green said the firearm was loaded inside a fanny pack within arm’s reach of the suspect.
“We tell our officers to approach vehicles like this with caution,” said Green. “These types of arrests are very high-risk, and around the country we have seen situations where officers approach vehicles and are ambushed by the person inside the car.”
Police determined that the weapon was reported stolen on Oct. 31 from a vehicle in an apartment garage near Laurel and Xenia avenues south.
Court records show Hassan was previously arrested for stealing a vehicle from the LA Fitness in St. Louis Park after someone reported their keys were taken from a locker. Hassan had an active warrant for his arrest for failing to show up to court hearing.
Green added that police continue to see people “being careless” with firearms left inside unlocked vehicles.
“Gun thefts from cars are the largest source of stolen guns,” said Green. “On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States.”
Jail records show Hassan is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 21.
Also See: Police: Wanted Suspect Crashes Stolen Vehicle in Downtown Robbinsdale
