Man, 19, faces charges in stolen car crash that injured Minnesota state trooper

A 19-year-old man is accused of driving a stolen car and crashing into a Minnesota State Patrol squad car in Minneapolis Friday evening, injuring three people, including a trooper.

Officials say the incident started around 10:30 p.m. in St. Paul's Highland Park neighborhood. The criminal complaint says Ramsey County Sheriff's Office deputies found a stolen red Hyundai and were following it when the driver of the car started to flee and drive recklessly.

The Hyundai entered Minneapolis and the deputies turned off their lights and stopped pursuing the car, the charges say. The car drove through Aldrich Avenue and 46th Street at approximately 80 mph, blowing through a stop sign before crashing into the side of a state patrol vehicle.

The 19-year-old, who was driving the Hyundai, fled on foot but was apprehended a short time later, the complaint says.

The trooper was hospitalized with a fractured right fibula and a fractured left scapula, court documents say. The two passengers in the Hyundai were also both taken to the hospital; one had a compound neck fracture and brain bleed, while the other had neck pain, the complaint says.

According to the charges, the teenager told police in a post-Miranda statement that it's fun to drive around in stolen vehicles. 

He faces three counts of criminal vehicular operation, one count of receiving stolen property and one count of fleeing a peace officer.