High-Speed Chase with Federal Agents Ends in St. Paul
A high-speed chase in St. Paul ended in a crash involving a vehicle driven by federal agents. The circumstances surrounding the pursuit and the reason for the agents' involvement remain under investigation by local authorities.
- The federal agents involved were from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the chase began when they attempted a "targeted vehicle stop" of a man from Honduras suspected of being in the country without legal authorization. - The crash occurred around 9:30 a.m. at the intersection of Selby and Western avenues in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood after the fleeing driver, in a red Toyota Prius, ran a stop sign. The pursued vehicle then struck a car and a minivan before hitting a snowbank and going airborne. - The driver being pursued sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital. After climbing out of his vehicle's window and attempting to flee on foot, he was apprehended by agents. - A crowd of around 100 onlookers and protesters gathered at the scene, with some yelling and blowing whistles at the more than a dozen federal agents who had responded. - St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her criticized the federal agents' tactics, stating the incident caused "chaos" and put residents at risk, calling for an end to the ongoing federal immigration operation in Minnesota known as "Operation Metro Surge". - The St. Paul Police Department confirmed its officers were not involved in the pursuit or the use-of-force incident. Local police were called to the scene after the crash as a large crowd had formed. - State legislators from the Minnesota House St. Paul Delegation issued a statement asserting that such federal operations "jeopardize the safety of every resident and community member in our neighborhoods."
