Minnesota state trooper injured in crash involving stolen car Friday night, officials say
A Minnesota state trooper was injured Friday when a stolen car carrying three people ran a stop sign and T-boned their squad car.
Officials say the incident started around 10:30 p.m. in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy saw the stolen car, a Hyundai sedan, and attempted a traffic stop. The driver of the car fled to Minneapolis.
The deputy originally pursued the car but ended the pursuit after losing sight of the Hyundai, according to the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office.
A short time later, the Hyundai was driving recklessly through Minneapolis when the driver ran a stop sign near West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South, where it collided with a Minnesota State Patrol squad car.
At the time of the crash, the car was not being pursued, according to officials.
The driver of the Hyundai, a 19-year-old, fled the scene but was later taken into custody, according to the sheriff's office.
The state trooper was removed from the squad car and taken to a nearby hospital. The trooper suffered significant injuries, according to officials.
The sheriff's office says the two passengers in the stolen car also suffered significant injuries.
The driver of the stolen car has two prior arrests for fleeing police, according to the sheriff's office. Police reports also say the same car was involved in a pursuit Thursday night, where it swerved at emergency vehicles. Officials did not say if the 19-year-old was the driver in Thursday's incident.
Tom Ambresch is now picking up the pieces. He showed WCCO where the trooper's vehicle slammed into his house, creating a hole underneath his porch. Across both his and his neighbor's lawn, there was still debris from the Friday night crash, with glass, a tire and other car parts littering the area.
Ambresch said that he had just gotten into bed when he heard the crash. Just moments later, he said he felt as if his house physically lifted off the ground.
"I thought we were being attacked," Ambresch said. "I didn't know it was a state trooper until I came outside and saw the side of the vehicle. I saw the person inside, all the smoke from the airbags inside the vehicle. He was slumped over a little bit inside."
He showed WCCO a video of first responders getting the trooper out of the vehicle, who, for a moment, appeared to at least partially be able to walk.
Ambresch said that he is grateful everyone is OK, but he's now concerned about his home. He said he's not sure whether it's possible it could collapse, given the severity of the damage.