Journalist records brazen criminals with guns breaking into cars, says she called police — but they never showed up

A Minneapolis journalist captured a frightening scene on video early Sunday morning that underscores just how bad the problem of violent crime has become in major cities across the country.

Even more shocking, the journalist said she phoned police, but they never showed up.

What happened?

Early Sunday morning, journalist Rebecca Brannon recorded multiple men breaking into cars in a McDonald's parking lot. One of the men was carrying a rifle and apparently fired shots into the air.

Video of the brazen crime showed the perpetrators were astonishingly calm as they carried out their crime in plain view of nearby people.

Brannon explained:

Just witnessed a guy pull out a (sic) assault rifle in the Uptown McDonald's parking lot — he shot off one shot into the air next to my car. I believe he is now breaking into a parked vehicle in the lot right now too. Don't have the best video but will upload when I can.

They're in a vehicle driving now and one guy is hanging out the window and just shot off again. Alsp (sic), I did call police, but after 15 minutes no one ever showed up...

About an hour later, Brannon uploaded the video that she captured. She explained that the men saw her, but she pretended to eat in her car, so they did not engage her.

What is going on in Minneapolis?

The disturbing video highlights a number of ongoing problems in Minneapolis, the city that ignited the riots of 2020 and the "defund the police" campaign.

Car thefts, in fact, have become a massive problem in Minneapolis, with nearly 500 this year. In 2019, the city only saw 104 — for the entire year, KARE-TV reported. The nearly five-fold increase of carjackings is an indication that crime is sky high. Criminals, after all, prefer to use someone else's car when committing crimes, and theft is the best way to procure such vehicles.

Robberies are up. Aggravated assaults are up. And detection of gunfire, including automatic fire, is up — significantly so — compared to last year.

Homicides, meanwhile, are inching dangerously close to the city's record. According to WCCO-TV, the city recorded its 90th and 91st homicide last week. The record in 97, which was set in 1995.