MAPLE GROVE, MN – When Minnesota police responded to a credit card theft, they hardly expected it to lead them to an Airbnb brimming with concealed firearms. But that’s precisely what occurred in Maple Grove, where a teenager’s spirited birthday bash revealed a cache of hidden weapons.
The chain of events kicked off when stolen credit cards were swiftly used at a Target store. This incident steered the police toward the Airbnb, which had been rented for a birthday party. Despite Airbnb’s guidelines stipulating a 10-person capacity, the police found it crammed with over 50 attendees, all in the age bracket of 15 to 21.
As the partygoers were gently nudged out, the police conducted a thorough search of the premises. The arsenal they uncovered ranged from the commonplace—guns stowed in backpacks—to the more bizarre—firearms stashed in a fast-food bag, game boxes, and even behind TV sets. Many of these weapons were no ordinary firearms but had been modified to function as automatic guns.
The guns are now slated for ballistic tests to ascertain their possible use in unsolved crimes. Fingerprints and DNA will also be collected in a bid to trace the firearms’ origins. Ramsey County Undersheriff Mike Martin expressed his relief at having these weapons off the streets, averting potential threats to the community.