Police recovered a missing 4-year-old Minneapolis boy in the front seat of a kidnapping suspect's vehicle after a short police chase ended in Plymouth on Tuesday evening. The boy was unharmed.
The boy was reported missing about 4:48 p.m. from the 6100 block of Russell Avenue S., where he was allegedly abducted from the back yard of his home by an acquaintance of the family.
The Minnesota State Patrol received a 911 call reporting an erratic driver near Hwy. 62 and Interstate 494, about 10 minutes after being notified about an attempt to locate a missing child in south Minneapolis. The Toyota Camry description matched both calls, police said, and officers spotted the vehicle at I-394 and I-494 in Minnetonka, where it was swerving all over the road.
The suspect, a 24-year-old Minneapolis man, refused to pull over and a chase ensued. When he tried to pass traffic on the shoulder at Hwy. 55 and I-494, the driver got stuck in a muddy ditch.
Police said the suspect physically fought with police before being arrested. He was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center and will face felony fleeing charges and probable-cause kidnapping, authorities said.
The Star Tribune typically does not identify suspects before they have been charged.
The Plymouth and Minnetonka police departments assisted the State Patrol in the arrest.
The 4-year-old was immediately returned to his family. His identity has not been released, but police said the driver was not related to the child.
