Best Buy robbed by large group in Minnesota on Black Friday

The Hill
·2 min read
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A police line set up by the U.S. Capitol Police is seen as climate protesters stage a sit-in outside the U.S. Capitol on Friday, October 15, 2021.


A group of between 20 and 30 people robbed a Best Buy in Burnsville, Minn., on Black Friday, stealing an unknown amount of merchandise.

The group overtook the Best Buy around 8 p.m., according to a spokeswoman for the Burnsville Police Department, stealing electronics and other merchandise. The suspects fled before police arrived.

Carissa Larsen, the spokeswoman, said police arrived at 8:05 p.m., but the suspects had already fled by that time. Larsen was unsure who placed the 911 call.

No one was injured during the robbery, and no weapons were found at the scene.

Larsen said she could not recall another incident like this one in recent history, but police do not at this time believe the crime could happen again.

"We don't have any reason to believe there will be another attempt like this or there will be any danger to the public," she said. "We don't have any reason to believe this isn't a one-off thing."

Also on Friday, police said a smaller group broke into another Best Buy in a mall near Burnsville.

Larsen said police are investigating a potential link between the two crimes and following up on potential leads and security footage.

The crime is part of a recent trend of smash-and-grab burglaries across the country. Organized groups arrive at stores, break in and steal merchandise before fleeing in getaway cars.

An Apple store and a Nordstrom were robbed on Wednesday in California. The robbers stole about eight expensive purses at the clothing retail store, and the Apple store suffered about $20,000 in product losses.

The Best Buy groups ransacked the stores while they were open, unlike many other smash-and-grab robberies where the suspects ransack stores after hours. The Best Buy in Burnsville closes at around 10 p.m., according to its website.

The CEO of Best Buy, Corie Barry, told CNBC's "Squawk Box" her employees were traumatized by the crimes.

"What I would really stress here is, for our employees, these are really traumatic experiences," she said. "Obviously, their safety is our first priority."

Updated at 3:20 p.m.