Patrol: Police 'quite a distance behind' when fleeing driver crashed, killing 2 in Burnsville

A man fleeing police Monday evening is dead after crashing head-on into a vehicle being driven by a mother of five, killing her and toppling two utility poles that ignited a blaze that engulfed his vehicle.

Authorities had little to say Tuesday about why police continued pursuing the man for about 7 miles after he first fled a minor car accident, who the driver was and how fast he and the squad cars traveled. The man was suspected in a hit-and-run that occurred earlier in the evening in Savage. The second crash occurred in Burnsville.

"Twelve hours later, we don't have a lot of answers," State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said at a news conference Tuesday. "These are always tragic situations and our hearts go out to the families that are involved."

Friends and family members took to social media to mourn both drivers, identifying the woman as Leticia Ocampo and the man as Matthew John Vogel, 24.

Ocampo's personal banker, Jorge Alberto San Martin, said Ocampo had five children. The youngest is 1 year old.

"She was a great person — always had a smile on her face," he said. "Her positive energy will always be missed."

Several of Ocampo's family members gathered at a home across the street from where her SUV came to rest on a service road parallel to County Road 5, gouge marks still fresh in the grassy median and asphalt. A man with the group said they were mourning and did not want to comment.

As they looked on, about half-dozen of Vogel's friends or family members arrived to inspect the location where his car came to rest a few houses south of where Ocampo's SUV was found.

A young woman combed the blackened road and median and recovered a scorched cellphone. The group also declined to comment.

According to authorities: Vogel allegedly drove a van into the back of a car about 8:09 p.m. on Lynn Avenue at Hwy. 13 in Savage, pushing it into the highway shoulder. He then fled the scene. The other driver declined medical treatment at the scene for himself and his 2-year-old daughter.

Apple Valley police initiated a traffic stop and then a pursuit about 8:19 p.m. when an officer spotted a van matching the suspected hit-and-run vehicle moving with "aggressive driving conduct." The van eventually traveled northbound on County Road 5 and crashed into Ocampo's SUV several miles later at 8:25 p.m.

The SUV was traveling southbound on County Road 5 and was either turning left or making a U-turn at W. 131 Street when the collision occurred. Many questions remain, Langer said, and will be addressed by a reconstruction of the incident.

The officers were "quite a distance" behind Vogel's vehicle, and it's unclear if they even witnessed the collision, he said.

Apple Valley police Chief Jon Rechtzigel said three squads from his department and at least one squad, and possibly two, from Burnsville were involved in the pursuit.

The Apple Valley officers were identified as officers Cody Yard, Cory Christianson and Sgt. Jason Weishaar. The Burnsville officers were identified as Sgt. Steve Stoler and officer Brian Hasselman.

Chuck and Beverly Mattingley were watching TV late Monday when they heard Vogel's van roaring over a small hill on County Road 5 "like in a drag race." The four-lane road has a posted speed of 40 miles per hour.

Moments later, it crashed into Ocampo's vehicle and struck a guide wire, damaging two utility poles. Power lines fell onto the van, starting a blaze with flames up to 12 feet high, neighbors said.

More than 300 customers in the immediate area lost power, said Xcel Energy spokesman Matt Lindstrom. The poles were replaced and power was restored several hours later.

Both Ocampo, who lived in Burnsville according to her social media account and public records, and Vogel, whose last listed address was Bloomington, died at the scene.

Vogel has a long criminal history in Dakota and Scott counties, the most recent a felony conviction for repeatedly violating a domestic violence no contact order in July. He served 30 days in jail and was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but that was stayed for five years. He had a long list of probation violations that would have triggered the prison sentence.

Since 2013, he was convicted of carrying a weapon in public, assaulting a police officer, vandalism, driving without a license and damage to property. He also received notice for late payments on restitution totaling nearly $1,000.

At the news briefing in St. Paul with Rechtzigel and Burnsville police Chief Eric Gieseke, Langer was clear in who was responsible for the two deaths.

"[The suspect made] bad choices in Savage, continued to make bad choices down the way and made incredibly poor choices that resulted in the death of the drivers," Langer said, adding that everything would have been avoidable had Vogel stopped.

Langer and the two chiefs fielded several questions from reporters about when to pursue a suspect fleeing in a vehicle and when to give up the chase.

The state requires every agency to have a policy, but the specifics of each can vary depending on jurisdiction, Langer said. Investigators will be looking into whether this pursuit was carried out in accordance with their respective department's policies.

"There is discretion" that officers and dispatch personnel can use, depending on the circumstances and the overall safety of others, Rechtzigel said, adding that they are often making "a lot of decisions rapidly."

Star Tribune staff writer David Chanen contributed to this report.

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