Golden Valley police arrested a 31-year-old man Friday Nov 1, 2024 for possessing a stolen vehicle and stolen firearm after responding to a 911 call regarding a driver slumped over in a car in the turn lane of Hwy 55 and Theodore Wirth Pkwy in Golden Valley.
According to Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green, officers discovered the red 2005 Toyota Corolla had been reported stolen after finding a Minnesota license plate beneath the vehicle’s Wisconsin license plate. A search revealed burglary tools used to break into vehicles and a loaded firearm in a fanny pack located within arm’s reach of the suspect. A NCIC check found the weapon was reported stolen Oct 31, 2024 from a vehicle in an apartment parking garage in the area of Laurel Ave and Xenia Ave S in Golden Valley.
The driver was identified as Hussein Hassan of Eden Prairie, MN. “He had multiple felony warrants, including one out of Ramsey County, and six additional Hennepin County warrants, and his driver’s license had been revoked,” said Green. “In all, this suspect had over $250,000 in outstanding warrants, besides the fact that state law doesn’t allow convicted felons to be in possession of a firearm.”
“We tell our officers to approach vehicles like this with caution,” said Green. “These types of arrests are very high-risk, and around the country we have seen situations where officers approach vehicles and are ambushed by the person inside the car.”
Green also said police continue to see people being careless with firearms left inside unlocked vehicles. “Gun thefts from cars are the largest source of stolen guns, he added. “On average, at least one gun is stolen from a car every nine minutes in the United States.”
The case has been forwarded to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for charges.