Man talked off roof by Minneapolis police is charged with crimes

An Anoka man was charged Friday after he allegedly fled police in Minneapolis on Wednesday and broke into a house, where negotiators eventually talked him down from the roof.

Richard Podvin, 37, was charged with fifth-degree drug possession, first-degree burglary, being a prohibited person in possession of a gun and fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle.

According to the criminal complaint, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office Violent Offender Task Force and U.S. marshals were looking for Podvin about 5:20 p.m. when they saw his car on Humboldt Avenue N. He led police on a chase until he collided head-on with a squad car and sprinted away. Police chased him as he broke into a house with adults and children inside and climbed up onto the roof. They spent more than three hours talking to him before he finally agreed to come down and be arrested.

Numerous items were found on Podvin, including pills and a bag containing a small amount of methamphetamine, the complaint said. A search warrant allowed officers to recover a handgun from his car. He has a third-degree assault conviction, which prohibits him from possessing a gun, the complaint said.