Mike Woodley’s car was stolen right in front of him on a cold January morning in Edina.
A hockey coach, Woodley was dropping off some gear to a fellow coach at a hotel around 6:30 a.m. He parked in front of the hotel and left his car running. It was a “well-lit” area and he intended to quickly run in to the lobby to meet his friend, so he figured he’d be safe.
Within seconds, a Lexus with no plates drove up alongside his car, like it was waiting. A juvenile suspect hopped out and drove away with Woodley’s Ford Escape.
The suspects drove the stolen vehicle to the Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis, where police are discouraged from pursuing vehicles. “Obviously the suspects knew that,” Woodley said.