Donovan Goodman charged in violent carjacking spree that involved dog being tossed onto interstate
MINNEAPOLIS – A Minneapolis man faces federal charges in connection to a violent carjacking spree earlier this year in the Twin Cities, which involved a dog being tossed from a speeding truck onto a busy interstate.
The United States Attorney's Office says Donovan Goodman, 33, is charged with carjacking and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The federal complaint states that Ramsey County Sheriff's deputies tried to pull over a pickup truck, later found to be stolen, in Little Canada on Jan. 30. The driver, identified as Goodman, fled the deputies and led them on a wrong-way, high-speed chase on Interstate 694. Goodman successfully avoided stop sticks, but deputies were able to stop the truck via the PIT maneuver.
Deputies say Goodman and another passenger fled on foot and jumped over a barrier separating the two sides of the interstate. Goodman then carjacked a vehicle at gunpoint and sped off. The vehicle was equipped with a dash camera, which captured the crime.
The Ramsey County Sheriff's Office said early last month that during the I-694 chase, a dog was thrown from the truck onto the interstate in Arden Hills. Deputies made the discovery after looking over footage of the chase, and found the dog in a snowbank the next day.
Deputies arrested a woman at the scene who was Goodman's passenger, and she admitted to throwing the dog from the truck.
In the early morning hours of Feb. 25, Minneapolis police officers spotted the vehicle carjacked on I-694 in a downtown parking lot. Goodman and another man were standing next to it, and they ran away when officers approached. One officer tased Goodman, who "fell to the ground, rolled over and then pointed a handgun with a red laser sight in the direction of the officer," according to the complaint. The officer took cover, and Goodman fled.
Goodman then allegedly went up to a ride share vehicle downtown that was picking up customers. He offered the riders $100 to let him join, and they accepted. Goodman got in, then pulled out a red laser-sighted handgun, placed it at the driver's head and commanded everyone to get out. He then drove off.
Hours later, investigators tracked Goodman via cellphone to a St. Paul residence, and a SWAT team responded. After an hour, Goodman was taken into custody.
"This is a snapshot of the violent acts we are seeing in the Twin Cities on a regular basis," said U.S. Attorney Andy Luger. "The full force of the U.S. Attorney's Office is focused on reducing the levels of violent crime and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to bring swift and certain accountability to violent criminals."
Goodman made his first court appearance Friday. It is not clear if the other passenger who fled on the interstate with Goodman has been arrested. And it's also unknown if the woman arrested at the scene has been charged with any crimes.
