St. Paul man crashes during police chase, left teenage girl unable to walk: Charges
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul man faces charges after crashing into another car during a police chase, injuring two teenage girls — one of whom is in the ICU and unable to walk, according to court documents.
Ryan Joseph Amabile, 33, was charged Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of drug possession, two counts of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm, two counts of criminal vehicular operation, and one count of fleeing a police officer in connection to the Nov. 25 incident.
According to the criminal complaint, the chase started in Woodbury when police noticed an SUV that had run from the Minnesota State Patrol the night before. The officers began to pursue the driver after the SUV entered Interstate 94, going between 90-105 mph.
The driver exited the interstate onto White Bear Avenue in St. Paul, then drove the wrong way in traffic. Police terminated the chase, but shortly after, the SUV crashed into a car, and a teenage girl was ejected from the vehicle.
Paramedics said the girl was unconscious and suffered head trauma. She was transported to a nearby hospital and remains in the ICU as of Wednesday. The complaint states the teenager suffered a major concussion and a broken pelvis. She "cannot feel her feet" and will "have to learn how to walk and stand again," the complaint reads.
A second teenager in the car also suffered leg and face injuries in the crash, the complaint states.
Following the collision, Amabile refused to get out of the vehicle and allegedly told police he had a gun and "threatened to kill himself," the complaint reads.
Officers began firing beanbags and pepper balls at the window, trying to get Amabile out of the SUV. The 33-year-old allegedly started running from the vehicle while holding a handgun. The complaint says a pepper ball hit Amabile, and he lost control of the gun, and it flew through the air, landing in the middle of the street.
Police searched the SUV and found a loaded handgun, a bag of mushrooms, and a large bag of methamphetamine inside a backpack. Amabile was taken to the hospital after he claimed he had ingested drugs, according to court documents.
The criminal complaint notes Amabile was released from the Minnesota Department of Corrections on Oct. 10 and already had a warrant out for his arrest when the crash occurred.
According to court documents, Amabile has 14 prior felony convictions, including theft, fleeing a police officer multiple times, violating a protection order, and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, in addition to others.
Amabile has not made his first court appearance for the charges relating to the crash, according to court documents.