Suspect Arrested After Golden Valley Luxury Car Thefts
After several luxury cars were stolen in Golden Valley last week, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a suspect.
Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies booked Brian Baragar, a 33-year-old resident of Sandstone, Minnesota, into the Hennepin County Jail on Friday as a suspect in the thefts.
Seven Cars Stolen in Golden Valley
On Aug. 15, thieves crashed a stolen SUV through the overhead garage door at Morrie’s Reconditioning Center in Golden Valley.
After destroying the door, police say the driver stole another vehicle from the shop and picked up a group of co-conspirators,. They later returned and stole a total of seven cars, including a 2023 Maserati Ghibli Trofeo.
Police recovered five of those seven vehicles, including the Maserati, within the next two days.
Another vehicle was recently stolen from a Cadillac dealership in a similar fashion, Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green told CCX News.
Green said he believed the incidents were related.
Thieves stole a Porsche 911 from a dealership in Golden Valley. Hennepin County Sheriff’s deputies have arrested a suspect in the theft.
Porsche Stolen and Crashed
On Aug. 17, thieves stole a black Porsche 911 from the Porsche Minneapolis dealership in Golden Valley.
The suspects initially tried to drive a vehicle through the service door but were unsuccessful. Police say the suspects then pried the door open and stole the sports car.
Several hours later, police located the vehicle and initiated a short pursuit in north Minneapolis. The Porsche struck a Hennepin County Sheriff’s vehicle and fled the scene.
Police officers later recovered the totaled Porsche.
Suspect Arrested
The Hennepin County Sheriff’s office arrested Baragar and booked him into jail on Aug. 18.
As of Monday afternoon, prosecutors have not yet charged Baragar. Police allege he’s connected to these high-profile car thefts.
Green said he’s been “positively identified” in the Cadillac theft, the Morrie’s Reconditioning Center theft and the Porsche theft.
Likewise, prosecutors have charged Baragar in other cases that involve stolen vehicles.
According to a criminal complaint, on Aug. 13, Baragar stole two Chevys from a Minnetonka dealership.
During the incident, he allegedly rammed a service door and led police on a high-speed chase.
Minneapolis Police also allege that Baragar spit on an officer after they found him sleeping in a stolen car. Prosecutors charged him with fourth-degree assault on a peace officer in connection with the incident.
He has Monday afternoon court appearances in both cases.
“When law enforcement makes these arrests, prosecutors must ensure guys like Bargar and others are not able to be released back into our communities and commit other violent criminal offenses,” Green said in a press release. “We have at least seven additional suspects to identify, all who were involved in the Morrie’s auto theft, and we have some very good surveillance footage that will help us identify them.”
Anyone with information can call the Golden Valley Police Department
See also: Golden Valley Police Aim to Reduce Outside Help by End of the Year
