A judge sentenced a Minneapolis man to decades in prison on Monday for killing a man and injuring another during a high-speed police chase in central Minnesota.

Ameer Matariyeh, 27, entered a Norgaard plea in August for second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. The Norgaard plea means Matariyeh admits to the crime and acknowledges he is not innocent, but does not remember the incident. 

Charges of first-degree assault and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle were dismissed at Matariyeh's sentencing. His sentencing for the two guilty pleas was set at 306 months and 153 months, to be served consecutively.

Matariyeh is also charged with three counts of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of misdemeanor domestic assault in Hennepin County in connection with a domestic violence-related standoff that occurred in Minneapolis shortly before the chase.

Minneapolis police were first called to an apartment building off Lyndale Avenue South and West 29th Street around 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 22, 2024, on a report of domestic violence. As officers arrived, Matariyeh opened fire from his apartment balcony at his ex-girlfriend — who is the mother of his child — and her current boyfriend. Neither were hurt.

When police eventually made their way into Matariyeh's apartment, no one was inside. Crisis negotiators then made contact with him via phone and discovered he was driving west of the Twin Cities.

Around 1:53 p.m., Kandiyohi County deputies learned of a stolen Chevy Malibu traveling west on Highway 7. A short time later, deputies were updated that the Chevy was at a home along the highway in the Lake Lillian area and the suspect, identified as Matariyeh, was on the front lawn of the property.

At 2:02 p.m., deputies received a 911 call from the residence saying a man had been shot in the chest. His wife, who was at home with him during the shooting, told police that her husband had been outside and she heard a pop. Charges say the husband then came back inside and told her to get his gun, as he had been shot.

Matariyeh then got back into the stolen vehicle and continued to drive west on Highway 7, reaching speeds up to 130 mph.

As deputies pursued Matariyeh, they were informed negotiators with the Minneapolis Police Department were on the phone with him and that Matariyeh said he was going to "attempt suicide by cop," charges say.

Deputies contacted OnStar to remotely disable the vehicle around 2:25 p.m. Matariyeh then got out of the car and approached a small green pickup truck that was driving on the road. That's when investigators say he shot and killed the driver, 55-year-old Jerome Skluzacek, of New London, Minnesota.

Charging documents say Matariyeh then ran across the highway into the median, came back toward the road and raised his hands over his head. Deputies gave him loud, verbal commands not to move, and he was taken into custody.

While in the back of the squad car, Matariyeh told officers that he was throwing his life away because he had been cheated on, documents say. 

Note: The video above originally aired on Oct. 24, 2024.

For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.