Car chase includes a wrong way trip on the Hastings Bridge

By Bruce Karnick
Posted 4/21/23

The afternoon of April 14th, a stolen white Audi Q5 driven by a 5’7”, 150-pound white male with black hair wearing a white t-shirt made its way to the Hastings Bridge from Scott County, …

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Car chase includes a wrong way trip on the Hastings Bridge

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The afternoon of April 14th, a stolen white Audi Q5 driven by a 5’7”, 150-pound white male with black hair wearing a white t-shirt made its way to the Hastings Bridge from Scott County, according to the KOPS (Keeping Our Police Safe) alert. The suspect was apprehended in Ramsey County later that evening.

Around 4:05, Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras located at the intersection of Highway 10 and Highway 61 spotted the stolen vehicle as it turned from Highway 10 onto Highway 61 to head into Hastings. The camera zoomed in just as the driver veered into the center median and ended up heading southbound on the northbound lane of traffic on the hill of Highway 61. Given the traffic he crossed in front of, it is a miracle that there was no accident.

As the driver was headed down the hill in the wrong direction, Hastings officers stopped traffic at the start of the bridge leaving town. The DoT camera on the bridge picked up the Audi, still on the wrong side of the road, as he crossed the bridge. Seeing the stopped traffic and awaiting officers, he quickly turned the car around and headed north out of Hastings. The vehicle was being tracked by a State Patrol helicopter during the pursuit.

Around 4:45 that evening, the vehicle was seen near Interstate 35E and Highway 36 and eventually the driver made his way into downtown St. Paul via I-35. The vehicle was found near Shepard Road and Jackson Street by a Ramsey County Deputy. The Deputy detained the female passenger while the male driver fled on foot just before 5:00 p.m. The male suspect jumped into the Mississippi River and Water Patrol was dispatched to respond near the Wabasha Street Bridge where the suspect was taken into custody.