Shivanthi Sathanandan carjacked in front of her kids

Police are searching for the carjackers who attacked Shivanthi Sathanandan, a prominent figure within the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), at her north Minneapolis home in front of her young children last week.

Sathanandan, who is of Indian-Sri Lankan descent, made history as the first woman of colour and first South Asian woman to be elected as Second Vice Chair of Minnesota’s DFL

She posted an image of her bloody face online along with her account of the incident on Sep 5, CBS News reported.

Sathanandan says she suffered a broken leg, cuts and bruises after four young men carrying guns attacked her outside her home while her 4-year-old daughter and 7-year-old son screamed for help.

“These criminals will not win. We need to take back our city. And this will not be the last you hear from me about this,” Sathanandan wrote on Facebook.

“We need to get illegal guns off of our streets, catch these young people who are running wild creating chaos across our city and HOLD THEM IN CUSTODY AND PROSECUTE THEM.”

“These men knew what they were doing. I have NO DOUBT they have done this before,” she wrote. “Yet they are still on OUR STREETS. Killing mothers. Giving babies psychological trauma that a lifetime of therapy cannot ease. With no hesitation and no remorse.”

According to the police report, officers later found Sathanandan’s vehicle abandoned and recovered it.

Some of Sathanandan’s neighbors were witnesses to the attack. James Tousignant was building a fence for a neighbor when he saw a group of kids walk by.

The group attacked a neighbor in her own driveway, while her kids screamed for help, he told CBS News. He joined neighbors in the alley, wanting to help, but they were forced to stop in their tracks.

“We seen the guns,” Tousignant said.” They were just pointing it, they weren’t saying nothing.”

He said the kids jumped in the neighbor’s car, but couldn’t get it in gear because they didn’t know how to drive yet.

Sathanandan’s neighbors are glad her injuries will eventually heal and are determined to look out for one another, CBS News said.

“She come by thanking us and stuff and, don’t thank us because really anybody should have been there. Anybody that was there should have been there helping protect their neighborhood,” said Tousignant.

Sathanandan, who had pledged to “dismantle” the Minneapolis Police Department three years ago, thanked Minneapolis 4th Precinct Officers, Mayor Jacob Frey, paramedics, neighbors, friends and DFL family, who came to her rescue “during this terrifying experience.”

She has been involved with the DFL party since 2006. Since then she has served as Vice Chair of the 4th Congressional District, a member of the State Outreach and Inclusion Committee, co-chair of the State Credentials Committee, a board member of the Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, and a board member of the Minnesota Asian Democratic Association (also a constituency caucus of the DFL).

Daughter of immigrants, Sathanandan grew up in St. Paul and is a University of Minnesota graduate.