Minneapolis police are investigating a hit-and-run that occurred Wednesday outside a mosque as a possible bias crime.
According to a police news release: a 36-year-old man was getting items out of his car in the parking lot of the Alhikma Islamic Center at about 12 p.m. when a minivan quickly drove toward him. The man tried to run, but the driver swerved and hit him. The man was taken to Hennepin Healthcare with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver left the scene.
The incident occurred in the 100 block of E. 32nd St. in south Minneapolis.
Police located the 37-year-old driver Wednesday night and arrested him. He had not been charged with a crime as of Thursday morning. Sahan Journal does not generally name suspects who have not been charged.
Minneapolis police Chief Brian O’Hara said in the news release that police are familiar with the suspect, and that he has a history of “trespassing and acting erratically” at the mosque and in the neighborhood.
The man who was arrested for the hit-and-run has been arrested for trespassing, slashing tires and assault for various incidents at the mosque. None of those cases have resulted in criminal charges.
“Based on the information gathered by our investigators so far, I am concerned that this crime may have been motivated by bias,” O’Hara said in the news release. “We won’t tolerate any crime in our city. But hate crimes and crimes against our houses of worship are particularly troubling because of the very real widespread fear they generate and the potential division they create among our residents.”
An MPD spokesperson said the department is working to submit charges for Wednesday’s incident to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which will decide if criminal charges are appropriate.
The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) issued a news release identifying the man that was struck as one of its employees.
“This apparently intentional attack outside a religious institution must be investigated as a possible hate crime,” Jaylani Hussein, executive director of CAIR-Minnesota, said in the news release. “We urge stepped-up security and increased vigilance at Islamic institutions statewide.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story included the wrong address based on incorrect information released by authorities.
