Police: Officers Fatally Shoot Carjacking Suspect Who Shot At Them On I-35W Burnsville
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Burnsville police say a carjacking suspect is dead after he fired multiple rounds at officers Sunday afternoon on Interstate 35W.
It happened at about 3 p.m. on the interstate near County Road 13. Police say the suspect -- a white man in his 20s -- was being pursued by officers for driving a vehicle with stolen plates. The man crashed that car, then ran into a nearby TGI Friday's restaurant, where he encountered a woman named Charmaine. She was getting dessert with her goddaughter, seated near the door, with her keys on the table.
"He grabbed my keys and he said, 'I'll give you $1,000, drop me off in Minneapolis.' I said, 'F--k off, I with my goddaughter,'" Charmaine said.
She says the man ran into her car and eventually sped off, firing shots as police were arriving.
"He started shooting at them from when he left TGI Friday's, like he didn't even care," she said. "He was just aiming, like, I think he was just trying to get the sounds out to get people off of him."
The pursuit continued, with police saying the man fired several more shots at officers. He then crashed the second stolen car, and attempted to carjack two other drivers at gunpoint before he was fired upon by several officers. No members of law enforcement were hurt, and there are no reported injuries of motorists who were travelling amidst the gunfire.
News of the shooting spread fast, with protesters from across the Twin Cities heading to the scene. Charmaine says she's a former cop, and is thankful for the officers' actions.
"Them cops had no choice but to shoot him. They had no choice, he was shooting out of my car. I almost got shot," Charmaine said. "So if it wasn't for these officers, it would have been some other bodies on the ground, I guarantee you that."
The man later died at Hennepin Healthcare. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation, and all officers involved have been placed on standard administrative leave.
