A man who allegedly fired shots through the front door of a St. Paul bar Christmas night and then crashed his car while fleeing police was in jail Thursday pending expected charges.

The 26-year-old suspect was kicked out of Shadey's Bar at 674 Dodd Road around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and allegedly fired several shots as he drove away from the bar, said St. Paul police spokesman Mike Ernster.

No one inside the West Side neighborhood bar was hurt. Police were unsure what led to the suspect being ousted from the bar.

Officers responding to the original incident saw the suspect driving a Dodge Challenger near the bar and tried to stop the vehicle. The suspect stopped once, then slowly took off.

Police attempted a second stop and the suspect "did not follow directions" and took off again, driving down Concord Street toward South St. Paul, Ernster said.

Officers followed as the suspect jumped onto a side street, then returned to Concord, where "he picked up speed significantly," Ernster said.

The suspect's car then struck another vehicle and crashed at the intersection of Concord Street and Butler Avenue.

Two adults and two children who were in the other vehicle were injured and taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for treatment of noncritical injuries.

The suspect also was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was treated for his injuries and had his blood drawn to be tested for drunken driving, Ernster said. He was then booked into the Ramsey County jail, where he remained Thursday night. Charges have not yet been filed.

Police found a gun at the crash scene, Ernster said.

The suspect has previous felony convictions for motor vehicle theft, burglary, fleeing police in a motor vehicle and domestic assault, according to court records.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768