BCA: Driver Led Deputies On High-Speed Chase, Shot At Officers Before Turning Gun On Self
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Authorities say a man reportedly fired at officers Tuesday night during a high-speed chase in central Minnesota that ended with the man allegedly shooting himself in the head.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says the man survived the apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and was airlifted to North Memorial Medical Center in the Twin Cities. His condition is not known.
The BCA is investigating the incident as officers used force in firing beanbag and chemical rounds at the man's vehicle. The officers were not wearing body cameras, and investigators are trying to determine if squad cameras captured the chase and the man turning the gun on himself.
According to the BCA, sheriff's deputies in Todd County tried to stop the man around 5 p.m. Tuesday near Browerville as part of an on-going criminal investigation. Instead of pulling over, the man led the deputies on a high-speed chase going east on County Road 16, reaching speeds up to 105 mph.
The man shot at the pursuing deputies and other officers, including state troopers and deputies from Morrison County, the BCA says. No one was struck by the gunfire. Officers did not return fire.
The chase ended when the driver lost control and struck a tree near Cushing.
When the driver refused to get out of the car, officers fired beanbag rounds to smash the back windshield and then shot chemical munitions into the car.
The BCA identified one of the officers who fired at the car as Joshua Burgardt of the Little Falls Police Department. The identity of another officer, with the Morrison County Sheriff's Office, is being withheld.
When officers approached the car, they found the driver with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, the BCA says. Emergency crews provided aid before an ambulance arrived to take the driver to a hospital.
Police found a handgun in the man's car.
The BCA's investigation is on-going. Once the investigation is completed, the agency says its findings will be forwarded to the Morrison County Attorney's Office for review.