Minneapolis Police Chase Stolen Vehicle Through Inver Grove Heights
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A call about an apparent kidnapping outside a home-improvement store set off a wild chase across the Twin Cities. It started at the Quarry shopping center in northeast Minneapolis and ended about 20 miles away in Inver Grove Heights Tuesday afternoon.
Traffic cameras caught the driver showing no signs of slowing down. He dodged police, made his own detours and even cut through grassy ditches along the highway.
Police finally stopped the driver of the stolen Jeep in a field in Inver Grove Heights. Troopers pulled a pit maneuver and rammed the SUV.
"It was a boom, a boom, a boom," said Alfred Willinbring who lives nearby.
It all started around 2 p.m. Tuesday. Someone called 911 saying a man forced a woman into a Jeep at a shopping center in northeast Minneapolis. When police found the Jeep about a mile away, the driver took off and the chase was on.
Traffic cameras captured the pursuit from I-94 to Highway 52, with a stream of squads following behind.
Police say one department threw out stop sticks to stop the SUV but the driver avoided them and kept going. The Jeep eventually went off the road in Inver Grove Heights. The Jeep rolled right behind a church.
"So we looked out the window and we were shocked to see how many police cars were back here and ambulances and everything," Lisa Kaufenberg with Inver Hill Church said.
The woman passenger who police believe was taken against her will had minor injuries. She was treated on scene. Emergency crews took the suspect to the hospital to be treated for his minor injuries before going to jail.
"I'm surprised that they came down this way because this isn't exactly the road you would turn down right off the highway unless you were going to the church. I'm sure they were a little surprised when they turned down Babcock and realized it was a dead end road," Kaufenberg said.
Minneapolis police said the man and woman knew each other. The driver had outstanding warrants. Police expect charges will also be filed in the chase.
