Man arrested in the dragging of Minnneapolis PD officer, separate deadly crash

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis police say they have arrested a man suspected of dragging a Minneapolis police officer with his car over the weekend, who was also wanted for an earlier deadly crash in the city.

Presley Aaron Peltier, 27, is being held in Hennepin County Jail on a slate of drug and theft charges. Police say he will also face charges for second-degree assault for the dragging of an MPD officer on Sunday, and criminal vehicular homicide in connection to the death of Andrew Hyde on July 18, 2023.

On Sunday, MPD said officers approached a vehicle around 3:30 p.m. on 42nd Street East at Snelling Avenue with a man slumped over in the driver’s seat after discovering the vehicle had been stolen. Peltier then drove off with one of the officers still partially inside the car, dragging them a short distance before the vehicle rammed into a pillar.

Previously, on July 18, MPD responded to the intersection of Washington Avenue North and 22nd Avenue North on the report of a crash. Arriving officers found a stolen Hyundai had crashed into another vehicle, with the victim – later identified as Hyde – dying from his injuries. After an investigation, it was determined the driver of the stolen Hyundai was believed to be Peltier.

Police have been actively searching for Peltier since then, finally locating him in south Minneapolis on Wednesday near Hiawatha Avenue and 36th Street East around 11 a.m.

According to police, Peltier again fled after officers attempted a motor vehicle stop before they canvassed the area and located him on foot.