MPD pursuit crash leaves 2 women dead, child injured, dog euthanized

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A crash in Minneapolis left two people dead, and a child injured after a carjacking at gunpoint led police to pursue an armed suspect.

The suspect is now in custody and is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, according to law enforcement. 

Police say a dog was euthanized as a result of the crash, while two other dogs are being treated for injuries.

Minneapolis police news conference on fatal pursuit crash 

What happened:

Minneapolis police say around 8 a.m. on Thursday, officers responded to reports of a person with a gun near East Lake Street and 4th Avenue South. 

Those reports were then updated to a carjacking in progress, according to Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara. 

The suspect was then seen driving a maroon Ford Explorer recklessly, reportedly swerving into traffic, speeding and driving onto sidewalks along Lake Street. Chief O'Hara said the suspect then crashed and tried to carjack someone who was stopped at a red light. That person then drove away and was not carjacked.

A photo shared by law enforcement officials shows the suspect trying to carjack someone after crashing a Ford Explorer.

However, the suspect then carjacked a woman driving a black Volkswagen and fled in her vehicle before circling back to the scene. The suspect then took three dogs from the crashed maroon Ford Explorer. 

Police say they received multiple reports of the suspect firing multiple shots as he fled in the victim's vehicle. 

At about 8:19 a.m., police say they received reports of a black Volkswagen being driven recklessly in downtown Minneapolis. Police then tracked the Volkswagen to the north side of the city, where they initiated a pursuit at about 8:36 a.m. The pursuit ended about three minutes later, when the suspect crashed into an uninvolved vehicle at the intersection of Penn Avenue North and Olson Memorial Highway, also known as Highway 55. 

By the numbers:

Two women in that uninvolved vehicle are dead. A child who was in the vehicle, believed to be about 5 or 6 years old, is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. The State Patrol identified the victims as Marisa Ardys Casebolt and LIberty Borg, both 25 of Minneapolis.

The suspect was in custody and is also being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities say the driver is a 45-year-old St. Paul man.

Officers say they recovered a firearm and three dogs from the stolen Volkswagen. One of the dogs was euthanized, and the other two are being treated for their injuries, police say. 

No police officers were involved in the crash, police said.

The Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash while Minneapolis police investigate the carjacking. 

Police chief speaks on department pursuit policy 

Local perspective:

"This is an outcome we never want—a devastating incident with very heartbreaking and permanent consequences," Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara said. "A gunman drove recklessly throughout the city, at excessive speeds and even onto sidewalks, carjacking a woman and firing shots on a crowded city street, jeopardizing human life. This criminal put countless lives at risk, and this is exactly why we take violent crime so seriously."   

When asked about the department's pursuit policy, Chief O'Hara said, "We've been criticized recently, because of all the smash-and-grabs and stolen cars, that have affected literally hundreds of residents, for having a pursuit policy that does not allow pursuits in those cases. This result is the reason we have such stringent policies. We have to balance the need to apprehend, in this case, a dangerous and violent gunman, with the risk that these pursuits pose to the public. So we limit our pursuits only to those cases where we believe an immediate apprehension is necessary to protect the community from a violent criminal, and we don't necessarily know who that person is, and not necessarily wait to make an apprehension at a later time. That's why the Minneapolis policy on vehicle pursuits is so stringent." 

Crash aftermath

The backstory:

The crash closed Highway 55 between Theodore Wirth Parkway in Golden Valley and North Morgan Avenue in Minneapolis. 

The crash happened at the intersection of Penn Avenue North and Olson Memorial Highway, also known as Highway 55. 

The road was closed for several hours as authorities investigated the crash, but it reopened around 1 p.m. Thursday.

Aerial footage of the crash aftermath shows multiple vehicles involved and a tarp covering part of the scene.