A Saturday evening chase in Northern Minnesota that involves allegations of a disabled state vehicle and shots fired by an officer has resulted in serious assault, fleeing police and drunk driving charges against a man from the Iron Range.
The Minnesota State Patrol says that a trooper responded to reports of a pickup truck crashing into a mailbox near Britt, Minnesota, around 7:40 p.m. Saturday. The trooper claims that he located the accident scene and began talking to people about the accident.
Law enforcement asserts that a 33-year-old Virginia man, who was suspected of driving the truck involved in the accident jumped in his vehicle during the conversation with the trooper, and a police chase began. The trooper says he chased the man in his truck until the driver fled down into a dead-end road.
The Minnesota State Trooper says that is when the Virginia man turned his truck around, slammed into the patrol vehicle and rammed the trooper’s car several times. While the truck was allegedly ramming into the patrol vehicle, eventually disabling the car, the trooper opened fire. Several shots blew through the truck’s windshield, although no one was injured. The man then fled from the scene, according to authorities.
The original investigating state trooper called for backup, and a second trooper claims that he and St. Louis County deputies located the suspect and a second chase erupted down Highway 53 toward Virginia, Minnesota. Eventually, law enforcement says that they stopped the truck and arrested the driver.
Prosecutors have filed formal charges against the Northern Minnesota man. He faces two felony counts of assault on a police officer and one felony charge of fleeing police. He has also been charged with DWI. Law enforcement claims that the driver registered 0.217 percent blood alcohol concentration in an implied consent alcohol test.
Sources:
WDIO TV, “Charges Filed in Trooper Shots Fired Incident,” May 9, 2012
Chicago Tribune, “Iron Range man in custody after allegedly ramming State Patrol squad during chase,” May 7, 2012
