Teenager charged after stolen vehicle crashes into St. Paul restaurant

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Charges have been filed against one of the three teenagers arrested on Wednesday afternoon after a stolen car crashed into a downtown St. Paul business.

Moeshea Hart, 18, faces a dangerous weapons charge, along with theft, owning a machine gun, fleeing a peace officer, and carrying a pistol without a permit.

Hart was allegedly in a Jeep whose occupants were shooting at another car near the 300 block of Luella Street in St. Paul around 4:30 p.m. When officers arrived near the area, the Jeep fled and went onto Highway 94. 

Eventually police stopped pursuing the car for safety reasons, but the driver of the Jeep ran a red light near 6th Street and Wall Street, crashed into another car, and then into the Ox Cart restaurant.

Three people, including Hart, tried unsuccessfully to flee on foot, the charging documents say. Another 18-year-old and a 17-year-old were arrested.

Hart had the Jeep's key fob in his pockets, the criminal complaint says. 

The Jeep's VIN revealed it had been stolen on Dec. 1, 2022 from a residence in St. Paul. It had originally been an orange car, but it had been "wrapped" to make it look black. 

Police found a loaded Glock model 9mm handgun with a loaded, extended magazine on the door of the driver's side of the Jeep.

The owner of the Ox Cart said they're grateful that no one was hurt. 

"We're looking forward to getting Ox put back together adn having her open by April 1st for spring training for the St. Paul Saints," the owners said in a Facebook post.