Two innocent people are dead and a child is in the hospital after a carjacking suspect being pursued by police crashed into another vehicle.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said police learned of a carjacking just after 8 a.m. near East Lake Street and Fourth Avenue South. Callers reported a man speeding, swerving into oncoming traffic and even driving on sidewalks along Lake Street at times.
That suspect crashed at one point, then tried to carjack another person at gunpoint. He initially failed but found another victim — a woman — and “violently carjacked” her.
Callers then reported the suspect dangerously driving that victim’s vehicle and firing gunshots as he fled.
According to O’Hara, Minneapolis police located the suspect at around 8:36 a.m. and initiated a pursuit. Within minutes, the chief says the suspect hit the vehicle carrying innocent people.
Two women inside the vehicle died and a child, who is believed to be 5 or 6 years old, was taken to a hospital but is expected to survive, O’Hara said. Three dogs inside the suspect’s carjacked vehicle were also recovered — one was euthanized and the other two were hurt.
Police did recover a gun in the vehicle the suspect crashed and he was arrested, police said.
“This is a very devastating incident with very heartbreaking consequences,” O’Hara said, adding, “This is an outcome we never want.”
While the entire incident remains under investigation, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS asked O’Hara about the pursuit and MPD’s pursuit policy. The chief responded that his department has taken heat for not initiating more pursuits in the wake of the numerous car break-ins across the city in recent weeks.
“This result is exactly why we have such stringent policies,” O’Hara said, adding that police only want to engage in a pursuit when they believe there is immediate danger to the community.
“This person clearly endangered hundreds of people’s lives in our community,” said O’Hara. “This is why we take carjackings so seriously … they put every member of our community at risk.”
A 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS crew at the scene spotted two damaged vehicles — one flipped on its side with a tarp over it and another with a seriously damaged front end.
Emergency crews closed the area of Penn Avenue and Olson Memorial Highway/Highway 55 at around 9 a.m. The Minnesota Department of Transportation says the closure is between Theodore Wirth Parkway and North Morgan Avenue and will last until around 1 p.m.
Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS on air and online for the latest updates. This story will be updated when more details are confirmed.
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