A woman who was riding in a stolen vehicle died Tuesday night when the driver crashed while fleeing police just east of downtown St. Paul.
The State Patrol identified the woman as Brenda Schaaf, 54, of Robbinsdale.
State troopers identified the stolen Kia Optima and attempted to make a stop near the intersection of Interstate 94 and Pascal Street in St. Paul. The driver did not stop and increased speed as he continued east, the patrol said.
A few miles later, the driver got off southbound Hwy. 61 at Bailey Road and crashed at the top of the exit just after 10 p.m., said Sgt. Troy Christianson.
Schaaf was pronounced dead at the scene, the patrol said.
The driver, a 31-year-old man from Columbia Heights, was treated at Regions Hospital for noncritical injuries and later booked into the Ramsey County Jail.
A second passenger in the car, a 35-year-old woman from Minneapolis, was also treated at Regions Hospital for noncritical injuries, the patrol said.
The case remains under investigation, Christianson said.
