Man shot, killed by police in Cottage Grove, Minnesota after carjackings, home invasion, sexual assault
COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Police shot and killed a man in Cottage Grove, Minnesota Monday morning following an apparent abduction, carjacking and home invasion.
The incident began around 6 a.m. in Maplewood. According to the Maplewood Police Department, a woman arrived at work at the Ramsey County Care Center on the 2000 block of White Bear Avenue when a man with a gun jumped out of the bushes. The suspect, who was unknown to her, took her car at gunpoint and forced her to accompany him.
St. Paul police spokesperson Steve Linders said the suspect drove to the victim's house in St. Paul, where he allegedly sexually assaulted her. The suspect then stole a vehicle from her home and fled.
According to Maplewood police, the suspect bound the victim before he left. Once she was able to get free, she called 911 to report what had happened.
Linders said St. Paul police officers were able to locate the vehicle in Cottage Grove and notify Cottage Grove police.
According to Cottage Grove police, the suspect stole a second car at gunpoint from a home in Cottage Grove around 8:30 a.m. The suspect drove the car about a block and entered a home, where he took four people hostage.
As police were setting up barricades and preparing for a possible standoff, the four people in the home escaped. The suspect drove off in a pickup truck he stole from the home.
The suspect drove around the police barricades and through neighboring yards before crashing the stolen pickup truck into a tree. He took off on foot and eventually encountered police officers. The suspect and officers exchanged gunfire and the suspect was shot and killed.
Cottage Grove police confirmed one of their officers and an officer from an assisting agency were involved in the fatal shooting. The officer from Cottage Grove is on standard, paid administrative leave.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident. The name of the suspect will be released once the Medical Examiner has completed an autopsy and the family is notified.