During the first Saturday night of a targeted speeding enforcement effort on highways around downtown Minneapolis, troopers arrested a driver suspected of being involved in multiple shootings.
The Minnesota State Patrol said it was one of several arrests Saturday night in the new 10-day initiative that started Valentine's Day to crack down on speeding and criminal activity, particularly on Interstate 94 between downtown and I-694.
State Patrol is calling the effort Highway Enforcement for Aggressive Traffic (HEAT) and it's being assisted by aviation support. HEAT patrols stem from a meeting with police chiefs and sheriffs associations in early February to discuss ways State Patrol could support local law enforcement agencies. The patrol first used HEAT in the mid 2000s and has used it off and on since to promote compliance with traffic safety laws.
On Saturday, nearly 150 vehicles were stopped for speeding, which led to two DWI arrests, 14 citations for driving without a valid license and seven stops for hands-free violation.
Troopers attempted to stop a speeding driver near I-494 and Highway 5, but the driver fled and initiated a pursuit "across the metro," according to Lt. Gordon Shank.
"The driver eventually fled on foot in Mpls., was located by MSP flight and arrested," Shank said in a series of tweets Sunday morning, adding that the driver is being held in Hennepin County Jail on numerous charges.
In a separate pursuit Saturday night in Chisago County, the sheriff's office reports that a 24-year-old Stacy man fled on Interstate 35 south of Stacy shortly before 9 p.m.
The driver, with multiple felony and gross misdemeanor warrants, led deputies and a K9 on a 730-yard pursuit through the woods, according to the sheriff's office. The suspect was found "out of breath and freezing cold." He was arrested and taken to Chisago County Jail with assistance from North Branch and Lakes Area police departments and the State Patrol.
