St. Paul man stole car while driver did field sobriety testing, charges say
MINNEAPOLIS — A 39-year-old man is accused of stealing a car while St. Paul police conducted a field sobriety test on the driver on Sunday.
The man from St. Paul was charged with one count each of theft and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, according to the complaint filed in Ramsey County on Monday.
Charges say a police officer had pulled over a driver for speeding near the intersection of Seventh and Jefferson streets shortly after 6 p.m.
The officer suspected the driver was intoxicated and had them exit the vehicle for field sobriety testing.
During the testing, a man who had been sitting on a nearby bus bench got into the driver's seat of the vehicle. The officer ran to the vehicle and repeatedly ordered the man to stop, charges say. The man then fled the area at a high rate of speed.
Using the vehicle owner's "Find My" app for their iPhone, police went to Apple Valley, where they discovered the phone had been thrown from the vehicle.
Police then used the owner's AirTag and AirPods attached to their keyring to track the vehicle to a gas station in Richfield.
When police arrived, the suspect fled in the vehicle again. A short time later, officers arrested the man in south Minneapolis.
Charges say the man showed "signs of narcotic intoxication." Police executed a search warrant to obtain his blood and the results of the test were still pending at the time charges were filed.
The man's bail had been set at $20,000. If convicted, he could serve up to 10 years in prison.