Crash of Washington's team buses prompts Minneapolis police to halt escorting of NFL teams

Days after a Minneapolis squad car caused two trailing Washington Redskins buses to crash while heading to the game against the Vikings, the police department said Thursday it is temporarily suspending its escorts of visiting NFL teams.

The two buses collided about 8:15 a.m. Sunday on the Huron Avenue exit ramp from eastbound Interstate 94 just short of the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium. The police car hit a guardrail on the ramp, prompting the second bus to rear-end the bus ahead.

Running back Silas Redd suffered back spasms while on the first bus that were serious enough to keep him out of the game. Other players suffered minor scrapes. The officer, Yolanda N. Wilks, 30, was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with minor injuries.

While declining to address the specifics of Sunday's incident, police added that "we are currently re-evaluating the process and will not be providing any escorts until that re-evaluation has been completed."

A Vikings spokesman declined to address the department's decision. The team has four more regular-season home games on its 2014 schedule: Nov. 23. vs. Green Bay, Nov. 30 vs. Carolina, Dec. 7 vs. the New York Jets and Dec. 28 vs. Chicago.

Packers officials declined Thursday to say what arrangements, if any, the team was making for a gameday escort while in Minneapolis.

The escort suspension not only covers visiting NFL teams but also any in the NBA, the NHL and Major League Baseball, said police spokesman Scott Seroka. The escorts for the teams in those leagues, Seroka added, are provided on a "case-by-case basis" and not under any specific department policy similar to the one covering NFL teams.

As a price gauge, a State Patrol escort in January 2013 cost the Vikings $312.70 for the team's jaunt from its Winter Park headquarters in Eden Prairie to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport for a playoff game.

Also Thursday, the State Patrol released additional details from Sunday's crash:

Wilks said she was ordered by the "motorcade supervisor" to move from behind the two buses to the front.

As she sped up to pass the buses on a grassy median, she lost control and hit the ramp's left guardrail.

Seeing the police car blocking the ramp, the first bus braked, prompting the trailing bus to strike the one ahead.

The team was coming from the Westin Edina Galleria Hotel. It used five buses in all to bring the players, coaches and others to the game. Need for escort explained

Vikings spokesman Jeff Anderson said the need for police escorts boils down to security.

The team completes airport security screening at Winter Park or at the opposing team's stadiums before leaving for the airport, Anderson said. "Since we drive directly onto the tarmac to board the plane, the police escort allows us to maintain that sterility."

As for visiting teams needing an escort from the hotel to the stadium, "we also typically have our bags checked by police dogs at the hotel."

That allows them to go the airport and board the plane immediately.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482