Police Chase Ends With Body Pulled From Lake
ROSEVILLE, Minn. (WCCO) -- Police in the north metro are investigating a chase that ended with the suspect's body being pulled from a lake.
It started around 9:30 p.m. Saturday night when a Roseville police officer noticed a problem with the suspect's tail light and initiated a traffic stop at Cleveland and Oakcrest avenues.
The vehicle slowed initially, but then failed to stop for the officer's flashing lights.
The driver took off, and went about three miles before crashing his vehicle in a wooded area near the intersection of County Road E2 and Cleveland Avenue in Arden Hills.
After crashing his car, investigators searched for the suspect but couldn't find him. K-9's were used to try and track the location of the suspect, which brought officers to the south side of Ferrel's Lake.
"We saw the helicopter going over trying to spot something. We didn't know what was going on, but we figured it was pretty serious," said Wade Wutschke, who lives near the area.
Police saw the man struggling to stay afloat in the lake approximately 50 yards from the shoreline. Police ordered him to return to the shoreline but he refused and "responded with expletives," according to police. Four officers jumped in after him but couldn't find him.
After about five minutes of searching, authorities called in water rescue crews, who pulled the man's body from the water around 10:15 p.m. Saturday night.
"I saw them pull 'em up out of the trees and into the ambulance," Wutschke said. "They worked on him for quite a while."
The man was pronounced dead at Hennepin County Medical Center.
At this point, police aren't saying why the man ran for it and it's not clear if the man's car went into the water. Neighbors in the area say they're hoping to find out some answers.
"I would like to know I guess," Wutschke said. "Not to be morbid, but curiosity so close to him, but what was going through the guy's head."
They say it appears the man did not have license plates on his vehicle, as it was recently purchased.
The incident remains under investigation.
His name has not yet been made public.
