A man believed to have stolen a handgun from an outdoors store in Woodbury was arrested Monday afternoon after he fled in a stolen vehicle and holed up in a mobile home a few miles away.
Police surrounded a trailer in the Cimarron mobile home park in Lake Elmo where the 20-year-old suspect kept law enforcement at bay for about 90 minutes until he exited the home disguised as a female and was arrested, Woodbury Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Okada said.
It was about 3:50 p.m. when employees at the Cabela's store at 8400 Hudson Road saw the suspect leaving the store with a bloody hand. It was believed he had broken a glass case and snatched a gun. The suspect took off in a vehicle that was determined to have been stolen out of St. Paul, Okada said.
About 30 minutes later, a Washington County Sheriff's Office deputy spotted a car matching a description of the stolen car and the suspect at a mobile home in Lake Elmo. Officers from the sheriff's office, the Woodbury Police Department and the State Patrol surrounded the dwelling. Homes in the immediate area were evacuated as a precaution, Okada said.
Police ordered those in the mobile home to come out. The suspect allowed two women, a man and three children inside the mobile home to leave without incident, but he refused to comply with commands, Okada said.
After a 90-minute standoff, the suspect exited the home disguised as a female and was arrested. He was taken to the Washington County jail, Okada said.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the mobile home and found a stolen firearm, Okada said.
Police also returned to Cabela's to question a store employee who may have been involved in the firearm theft. Police did not say how that employee was involved.
