west metro
Man who jumped off MOA parking garage said 'not a word' to officers
- Updated: March 3, 2010 - 6:37 AM
Sergeant who chased the man to the top of the ramp shouted, 'Don't jump!'
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A man who led Bloomington police officers on a chase to the top of a Mall of America parking ramp before jumping to his death had no history with Bloomington police and said nothing before the seven-story leap.
The Hennepin County medical examiner identified the man as Christopher Thompson, 27, of Bloomington.
"Not a word," Bloomington Police Cmdr. Kevin Herman said when asked whether the man said anything. "One of the officers behind him was a sergeant, and he only had time to say, 'Don't jump!'"
The chase began at 3:45 p.m., when a caller told police about a hit-and-run crash at 98th Street near Grand Avenue. A caller described the vehicle and license plate and said the driver was steering erratically.
Officers spotted the vehicle near the intersection of Old Shakopee Road and 86th Street, and it ran a red light at Old Shakopee and Killebrew Drive. Two squad cars followed with lights and sirens on.
The car entered the Mall of America parking ramp at about 30 miles per hour with the squad cars close behind, driving through a barricade to the seventh level of the ramp, and straight to the south edge. As the officers got out of their cars, the man climbed onto the wall and jumped off, landing on the surface lot. He died at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Herman said the man had no history with Bloomington police and did not appear to have a criminal record.
Thompson grew up in Bloomington and lived with his mother, said his uncle, Alan Toltzman.
Thompson had recently earned his certification to do hydraulics work and was looking for a job. He had gotten out of a relationship, and was focusing on playing the guitar, but his family thought he was doing OK . "We're just at a loss at this," Toltzman said.
ABBY SIMONS AND VINCE TUSS
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