Minnesota brewery moves up closing time due to rising crime, robbed twice by same suspect

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Minnesota brewery robbed twice by same suspect after release

Brian Ingram, owner of The Gnome Craft in Minnesota, explains that his business has to close at 9 p.m. due to crime.

A St. Paul, Minnesota brewery owner said Monday he was forced to close his brewery at 9 p.m. each night, four hours early, due to repeated robberies. 

Brian Ingram told "Fox & Friends" the increase in crime over the past year and a half in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, coupled with liberal policies, drove his decision.

The earlier closing time was implemented at The Gnome Craft Pub almost one year ago. Ingram said  "bad things start to happen" when it gets late, and he can’t afford to stay open.

"It started getting bad about a year and a half ago," he told host Brian Kilmeade. "We've gone through multiple robberies at all of our restaurants, even our corporate office, which is a few blocks here from The Gnome."

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The biggest problem for the restaurant is repeat offenders.

"A guy robbed us here, was out of jail within 24 hours. He came back and robbed us again a few weeks later and was released again," Ingram said, noting that the suspect had multiple previous convictions.

Ingram explained that criminals and thieves are getting bolder because they know police won’t respond to break-ins. 

"The alarms are going off. Sirens are going off – stuff that used to scare criminals away. Now they take their time," he said.

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"Here at the Gnome, they rolled the safe down three flights of stairs, put it on a dolly, put it in the trunk of their car and just walked out with it."

Ingram said he blames the politicians, namely Democratic Gov. Tim Walz and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, for failing to protect the community.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 16: Minneapolis Police Deputy Chief Art Knight speaks with people gathered near a crime scene on June 16, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.  (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images) (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Ingram said he’s considered new security measures, like an armed guard or guard dogs. But with 20 cameras already in the building, he said catching the criminals isn’t the problem. 

"They always can catch these criminals. Most of the time, the police even know who they are," Ingram said. 

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"That’s the really bad part about all of this: these criminals that just keep getting out again and again and again."