A traffic stop in Falcon Heights on Sunday night escalated into a police chase and finally a collision that left one person dead, according to the St. Anthony Police Department.
About 8 p.m., a St. Anthony police officer pulled over a car near Hamline Avenue and Hoyt Avenue in Falcon Heights. As the officer approached the stopped vehicle on foot, it sped away, the news release said.
The officer pursued the vehicle, and after about a minute, the vehicle veered off the road and hit a tree. The vehicle was occupied by the driver and a passenger.
Officers and emergency responders tried to help both people, but the driver died at the scene. The passenger was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
The State Patrol reconstructed the scene and is investigating the incident, along with St. Anthony police, who serve Falcon Heights. The driver's identity will be released after the family is notified, according to the news release.
ERIN ADLER
