Suspects ID’d In Maplewood Best Buy ‘Grab And Run’: Police

MAPLEWOOD, MN — Maplewood police have identified several suspects in a mass “grab and run” theft at a Best Buy store on Black Friday, Lt. Joe Steiner said Wednesday.

Steiner said Maplewood police worked with law enforcement agencies throughout the Twin Cities metro to investigate leads and identify “multiple” suspects, who he did not name publicly as charges are pending against them.

Ten to 16 people entered the Best Buy in the 1700 block of County Road D around 8:10 p.m. on Black Friday in a “coordinated effort” to steal “multiple high-value items,” Steiner said.

About $7,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, including hoverboards, televisions and tablets, according to police.

2 Twin Cities Best Buy Stores Hit By Thieves On Black Friday

The same group of people is thought to have hit a Best Buy store in Blaine before going to Maplewood and then Burnsville, Steiner said, adding police will release photos and videos of the Maplewood mass theft in a few days.

Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said Wednesday that the bureau is helping police departments coordinate their investigations into recent mass thefts.

Large-scale thefts are increasing though larceny "is down” across the state, Evan said, pointing to a rise in “organized criminal rings.”

Maplewood police have increased patrols at the Best Buy store since last week’s mass theft, Steiner said.