A car thief stole a couple’s truck in Minnesota and drove off Wednesday night. If the suspect hadn’t also stolen the four children from the vehicle, the carjacking would have been a success. The suspect was stopped by the father’s quick thinking and his heavy foot.
At 8:40 p.m., Deanah Gotchie and Derek Gotchie parked their GMC Yukon in front of a Minneapolis residence at 800 Block Russell Avenue North. The couple had four children under five years old in the car.
KSTP reported that Deanah Gotchie was unloading items from her family’s car and dropping them off at a friend’s house. Derek Gotchie, her husband, quickly got out of the vehicle and closed the back door.
The vehicle was temporarily empty of both parents, so a suspect entered the truck and drove away with the couple’s children inside.
“I turn around and I’m like, “What?” Derek Gotchie of Deer River told KSTP.
Derek stated that he saw the tail lights of his car leaving as he looked out the front door.
Derek Gotchie saw the suspect driving off with his toddlers. He also spotted the abandoned van of the suspect, which police later confirmed to be stolen. Derek Gotchie realized that he could still take down the suspect because the van was still in operation.
Derek Gotchie said, “I’m jumping in here, I’m going to go after my children.”
The father did exactly that: He got in the van and pressed the accelerator.
Derek Gotchie pursued the stolen GMC Yukon, while his children reportedly begged for him to slow down.
The suspect got located just blocks from the father, at the intersection of Penn Avenue N and Plymouth Avenue N. This is where Derek Gotchie was able to see his way out to bring the chase to an abrupt halt.
Gotchie stated to KSTP that he had “hit the backside of my truck and pushed [the suspect] down into this alleyway in order to pin him against this fence.”
Although it wasn’t a PIT maneuver of the highest caliber, what the father did work. The truck the family was stopped.
Instead of enduring a father’s righteous anger, the suspect fled on foot.
The rear bumper of the family truck was damaged but the Gotchie children were not hurt.
KARE reported that EMS staff arrived quickly on the scene. The Minneapolis Police Forensic Division also sent forensic scientists to gather evidence.
Deanah Gotchie, upon her arrival, reportedly asked a cop, “Did they find them?”
The officer replied, “Your husband did.”
KSTP was told by the mother that she was initially surprised but then became more comfortable after hearing the whole story.
She said, “I’m like: ‘Yup. That sounds like my husband.'”
There have been no arrests. Fox News Digital reported that the Minneapolis Police Department was still investigating the incident.
Minneapolis is run by Democrat Mayor Jacob Frey. It has a score of 2 on Neighborhood Scout’s crime index. 100 is the highest score. One in 84 people in Minneapolis could be a victim of a violent crime.
According to the crime dashboard for the city, there were 5,656 motor vehicle burglaries in 2022. This is 1,836 more than last.
