Suspect Fleeing Police Dies After Entering Lake
MAPLE GROVE, Minn. (WCCO) -- A suspect involved in a police pursuit Thursday night died in a lake after trying to evade officers.
According to the Corcoran Police Department, authorities first became aware of the suspect after they were allegedly involved in suspicious activity in the city of Rogers. Upon officers' investigation, the suspect tried to evade Rogers officers in a black sedan at a high rate of speed on Interstate 94 near Highway 610.
Corcoran officers then located the vehicle traveling on County Road 30 in Corcoran. Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the suspect again fled. At one point, the suspect vehicle veered toward a Corcoran squad car, nearly striking it.
As the pursuit entered the city of Rogers, and eventually Maple Grove, officers from Corcoran, Rogers and Dayton Police Departments became involved. Officers lost the suspect in Maple Grove until a Corcoran officer located the unoccupied vehicle near the 6900 block of Fish Lake Road near Cedar Island Lake.
Upon inspection, officers could hear a person calling for help from the direction of the lake. Police began rescue efforts, but at approximately 5 a.m., almost six hours after the pursuit initially began, a body was pulled from the lake.
The Corcoran Police Department is investigating the vehicle pursuit, while the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office has opened an independent death investigation. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner will release the suspect's identity.