By MES Dispatch staff
The Briefing
• A Minnesota State Patrol trooper was seriously injured when a stolen vehicle traveling about 80 mph slammed into the patrol car during a high-speed incident, authorities said.
• The crash occurred Friday night in south Minneapolis after the stolen vehicle fled from law enforcement and ran a stop sign before the collision.
• The 19-year-old driver and two passengers in the stolen car were also seriously injured and taken to hospitals.
• The driver was apprehended after briefly fleeing on foot and now faces multiple felony charges in Hennepin County Court.
• Local agencies, including the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and Minnesota State Patrol, are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A Minnesota State Patrol trooper was seriously injured Friday night when a stolen vehicle crashed into the patrol car at high speed in south Minneapolis, authorities said.
The crash occurred around 10:30 p.m. when deputies from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office first spotted a stolen red Hyundai and attempted a stop in the Highland Park-St. Paul area. The vehicle fled, and deputies ended the pursuit after losing sight of it, officials said.
The stolen Hyundai later entered Minneapolis, where the driver ran a stop sign at West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South at about 80 mph without headlights, colliding with the State Patrol squad car and forcing it into a residential location, law enforcement said.
The trooper was extricated from the damaged patrol vehicle and transported to a hospital with significant injuries. Two passengers in the stolen car also sustained serious injuries and were taken to local medical facilities, officials said.
The 19-year-old driver ran from the scene but was quickly apprehended by law enforcement. He is being held at the Ramsey County Jail and faces several felony charges, including fleeing police and criminal vehicular operation, according to court documents.
Investigators from the Minnesota State Patrol and the sheriff’s office continue to review the crash and surrounding events, and no further updates on victims’ conditions were immediately released.