SUV rams St. Paul apartment building, sends debris on sleeping resident

A man suspected of being high drove a stolen SUV into an apartment building in St. Paul, sending debris falling on a resident, authorities said.

The crash occurred about 6:10 a.m. Monday at the corner of E. 7th and Atlantic streets, police said.

According to police:

Officers arrived to find the SUV had hit the corner of the building, and a second vehicle was behind it with extensive front-end damage.

A woman told officers that the SUV driver ran from the scene, but he was arrested nearby. The 27-year-old man told officers he recently "took some dope."

The SUV driver was speeding on southbound Atlantic and ran the stop sign at 7th.

As it crossed railroad tracks, its wheels appeared to "lift off the pavement," witnesses told police.

The SUV struck the building on the southwest corner and sent concrete onto a 26-year-old man who was in his apartment sleeping. He suffered a minor injury to his ankle.

The other vehicle's driver, a 63-year-old woman, was checked by emergency personnel at the scene and required no further medical attention.