A Cloquet, Minn., man was run over and killed at an interstate rest area near Carlton and the pickup driver who hit the man fled, only to be caught soon after, authorities said Thursday.
Gregory A. Blackburn, 62, was killed at the Culkin rest area along Interstate 35 shortly before 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.
A 55-year-old Duluth man was arrested and booked into the Carlton County jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide, fleeing police and third-degree DWI, according to Lt. Eric Roeske of the Minnesota Highway Patrol. He has not yet been charged.
Witnesses saw the pickup fleeing the scene and a state trooper gave chase north on I-35. The trooper attempted to stop the vehicle by activating his lights and siren, but the driver continued at a high rate of speed and a pursuit ensued.
State Patrol troopers and police officers from Proctor and Hermantown attempted to stop the pickup with stop-sticks several times during the pursuit but were unsuccessful. The vehicle was traveling in excess of 90 mph and was observed swerving to miss vehicles, according to authorities.
The 25-mile pursuit ended in Hermantown when a trooper was able to use a maneuver to spin the fleeing vehicle off the road and into a ditch near the intersection of Stebner Road and Arrowhead Road. The driver was uninjured and was arrested without incident.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
