Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to state the man was arrested in St. Paul, information provided in the criminal complaint.
WOODBURY, MN (WNN) – A man wanted on felony charges led police in Woodbury on a high-speed chase this afternoon. At one point, he drove onto soccer fields where games were being played.
“It was terrifying,” one witness said. The suspect, a 45-year-old man from New Hope. was eventually arrested after crashing in St. Paul. No injuries to the public were reported.
“Officers pursued the vehicle in order to apprehend this dangerous suspect,” Woodbury police commander Tom Ehrenberg said in a statement. “The pursuit was continuously evaluated by officers as the event rapidly unfolded.”
A criminal complaint states the chase began at Cub Foods in Tamarack Village at about 1:30 p.m. Officers abandoned a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver after being concerned about the safety of the public.
The complaint adds that the suspect “was swerving from lane to lane, passing other vehicles on the shoulder of the roadway, and almost collided with multiple cars. Officers reported a female was observed in the passenger seat. The pursuit continued down Radio Drive at speeds over 80 mph near City Center Drive.”
When the driver neared Bailey Road he found several vehicles blocking the road, and he drove off the road to the right. Witnesses said he drove on the soccer fields to elude authorities. A second PIT maneuver didn’t work. The driver entered I-494 northbound and exited at I-94. He headed west toward St. Paul at high rates of speed and crashed near the intersection of I-94 and Cretin Avenue in St. Paul, according to the complaint.
The driver was arrested for felony threats of violence, felony fourth-degree assault, two charges of felony fleeing in a motor vehicle, and felony obstruction. He also now faces one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. The suspect was taken to Regions Hospital for evaluation and then taken to Washington County Jail.