The Hennepin County attorney's office charged a 21-year-old Bloomington man with fleeing police officers after a chase in Eden Prairie last weekend resulted in the man being shot by the officer in an "accidental discharge."
Matthew Raymond Hovland-Knase, 21, of Bloomington, was charged with fleeing an officer, a felony offense, after leading Eden Prairie police on a brief chase about 3 a.m. Saturday. Eden Prairie police haven't yet named the officer who shot him, and it's not clear how or why the officer's gun "accidentally discharged" during the incident.
According to the criminal complaint filed Tuesday, officers saw a motorcycle with Missouri plates speeding westbound on Valley View Road and tried to stop the motorcyclist, but instead, the driver turned northbound on Eden Prairie Road against a red light and "accelerated at a high rate of speed."
During the police pursuit, the motorcyclist wove from side to side, crossed the centerline and drove straight in a turn-only lane, reaching speeds of almost 100 miles an hour, according to the criminal complaint. The chase ended in a residential area at Eden Prairie Road and South Lund Road, where the arresting officer "accidentally discharged" their gun, striking Hovland-Knase in the left arm. He was hospitalized and then released to the Hennepin County jail. The criminal complaint doesn't mention anything about Hovland-Knase being armed.
KELLY SMITH
