Patient Escapes State Psychiatric Hospital, Steals Police Car In Anoka

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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A patient escaped from a state psychiatric hospital and stole a police squad car in Anoka on Thursday.

According to a criminal complaint, 23-year-old Mattu Chuol climbed a fence at the Anoka Metro Regional Treatment Center to escape from the facility at about 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 30.

Police officers went to the area and found him walking on a nearby sidewalk. According to law enforcement, he ran away when he saw the officers.

Mattu Chuol (credit: Anoka County)

Later on, he was located again in a backyard. At that point in the pursuit, Chuol was able to enter a police officer's squad car through the passenger door, taking off in the vehicle.

Law enforcement says he drove a few blocks away and parked the car in the middle of the road.

Then more police officers surrounded him and he was taken into custody without incident. Chuol, from Mankato, was charged with one felony count of motor vehicle theft, facing a maximum sentence of five years in prison.

DHS Deputy Commissioner Chuck Johnson provided WCCO-TV with a statement regarding the incident:

"The security fencing around the smaller courtyards at AMRTC is specially designed to prevent climbing by eliminating hand and footholds. In this case, a very athletic patient was able to leap high enough to vault off a door handle, grab the top of the fence and pull himself over. We're carefully reviewing the incident to see if any modifications are necessary to keep patients, staff and the public safe. We work closely with the Anoka Police Department and we're grateful that officers responded so quickly and professionally."

Chuol is charged with one felony count of vehicle theft. If convicted, he could face up to 5 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine on the vehicle theft charge.