A felon who led police on a chase through Hastings before being shot by officers was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison.
Roman Tokarev, 28, pleaded guilty to second-degree assault, fleeing police in a motor vehicle and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the dramatic December 2009 chase.
Before the chase, he had stolen his brother-in-law's pickup truck and left behind two notes: one saying, "I'm on a suicide mission," and another saying he had a handgun and wasn't going back to prison.
When officers found Tokarev driving north on Hwy. 61 in Hastings, they surrounded the truck and tried to pull him over. Instead of stopping, he began driving forward and backward, ramming the squad cars before speeding away.
A Dakota County sheriff's deputy stopped Tokarev near Hwy. 61 and 4th Street by ramming the truck. Other officers blocked his escape.
Officers fired when they saw Tokarev raise what they thought was a gun, hitting him multiple times. They recovered a pellet gun resembling a .45-caliber handgun in the truck.
The sentence was harsher than guidelines recommended because it was Tokarev's third violent offense.
KATIE HUMPHREY
