Jeffrey Paulson Charged In New Brighton Chase That Left Officer With Broken Wrist
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 26-year-old Twin Cities man is facing assault and other charges after an officer suffered a broken wrist trying to arrest him as he drove away, with the officer hanging out of the car.
Jeffrey Paulson, of Lino Lakes, is charged with third-degree assault, fleeing a police officer and damage to property, court documents filed this week in Ramsey County show. He is currently in custody on $100,000 bail.
The charges stem from a traffic stop-turned-police chase Monday in New Brighton. According to a criminal complaint, an officer in the city saw Paulson and a woman riding a motorcycle without a rear license plate and stopped them in a parking lot on the 2400 block of County Road E, in front of a tobacco shop.
The officer asked Paulson for identification, and he went to a nearby car to retrieve it. He said he was test driving the motorcycle. While in the car, however, Paulson produced no form of ID and appeared to be "making furtive" movements. The officer tried to restrain him.
With the officer holding him by the arm, Paulson started the car and drove into the tobacco store, nearly hitting his female companion, who was sitting on the curb. He then slammed the car into a concrete pillar, before vering onto Silver Lake Road.
The officer was able to break free from the car, but suffered a broken wrist. He was taken to a nearby hospital and treated.
Responding officers pursued Paulson and noticed him toss a clear plastic bag out the window, the complaint states. At the intersection of 37th Avenue and Hayes Street, a police PIT maneuver brought Paulson's car to a halt.
Immediately, Paulson got out of the car and began to run behind nearby houses. Officers quickly caught up to him and made an arrest. According to the complaint, he told officers that he had ingested heroin. Emergency crews brought him to a hospital for evaluation.
Police found a handgun near where Paulson was arrested. Investigators say the car he was driving had been stolen out of Coon Rapids. The motorcycle he was initially seen riding was also stolen.
Paulson has past convictions for burglary and illegal possession of a firearm. If convicted of all the new charges, he faces up to 15 years in prison.