Suspected driver in high-speed Robbinsdale crash that killed Emily Gerding in jail, charging extension filed
ROBBINSDALE, Minn. -- A driver who allegedly sped through city streets in Robbinsdale, causing a crash that killed a woman and critically injured her husband, is now in jail, and a charging decision is expected this week.
The 20-year-old suspect from Minneapolis was released from the hospital Tuesday morning and booked into the Hennepin County Jail, according to the Robbinsdale Police Department. WCCO typically does not identify arrested parties until they are formally charged.
John Elder, a captain with Robbinsdale police, said the Hennepin County Attorney's Office will be filing an extension for charging in the case.
Per Robbinsdale police, before the fatal crash, an officer saw a driver in a white Tesla going 55 mph in a 30 mph zone on 42nd Avenue North near Highway 100 Saturday night. The officer followed, eventually activating their lights and sirens. The driver fled and the officer terminated the pursuit just blocks away from the crash, police said.
At Orchard and 36th avenues, the driver hit another vehicle while going between 70 and 90 mph, per police.
Two new search warrants in the case were filed Tuesday. In one of the warrants, police noted that the Tesla was a rental, and the registered owner didn't know the suspect. Police also say the suspect had $4,000 in cash on them at the time of arrest, as well as "multiple checks, multiple credit cards, multiple cell phones, [and] a suspected fraudulent ID with the driver's photo."
Family members identified the victims of the crash as Emily and John Gerding, both special education teachers at Coon Rapids Middle School. The couple also has two children. As of Tuesday morning, an online fundraiser for the family had raised more than $115,000.
Note: The video above first aired July 10, 2023.