High Speed Chase on the Sabbath

Today on my way to church I got caught in the middle of a high speed chase. I was on a one way, 3 lane street with a speed limit of 30 miles per hour. I was in the far right lane going about 30 when this car comes speeding by me going at least 50 miles per hour. They came so close to me that I thought they knocked off my side mirror. I also noticed that the car's passenger door was partially open. After the car almost side swipped me, it quickly changed lanes to the far left lane. In the process they almost took out another 2 cars. Then it ran a red light at a busy intersection. At this moment I was thinking that the person driving this car was a complete idiot and was eventually going to injure or kill someone.

Only a few seconds later I hear sirens and see police lights in my rearview mirror. Not just one police car but four. Obviously this car was speeding and driving like a maniac for a reason, to get away from the police. I had pulled over at this point and the four police cars passed by me. My heart was beating pretty fast by now. I kept thinking about my 2 kids that I had in the car with me and was glad we were all safe. Then I noticed 2 more police cars behind me and one appeared to have hit another car. I don't know if this was intentional to stop the car or accidental. Next thing I know 5 or 6 more police cars are coming up behind me with sirens wailing and lights flashing. I was still pulled over at this point and was wondering when it was going to be safe to start driving again. The police cars I saw were from 4 different cities. People started driving again and I made it to church safely. I was a bit shaken up but since I was safe I thought wow that was pretty cool. Though it was nice to go and sit in a peaceful sacrament meeting and think of more pleasant things.

I just looked up on the internet to see if any news of a high speed chase was posted on the local news sites and found this. I recognized the car immediately and the article helped me to piece together some of the things I saw. You can watch parts of the chase if you click on the video link which is posted on the article. Pretty crazy stuff! I am just glad we are all okay and our drive home from church was a bit less dramatic.

I don't know if the link to the article will work forever so I pasted the article below, but if you want to see the video then try the link above.

Man steals car, threatens officer's life in hour-long chase through metro

The chase started around 10:30 Sunday morning and lasted about an hour. But in that time, police say a 27-year-old man fled from police, tried to kill one officer and stole a car.Police say it started with a regular traffic stop in Medina. When the suspect took off, police followed.The suspect crossed the border into Plymouth, near County Road 101 and Highway 55. A Plymouth police officer threw down stop sticks, hoping to stop the suspect. But the suspect dodged the sticks and tried to hit the officer. Police say the officer was able to jump out of the way, he then fired at the suspect's car.The suspect ditched his damaged car a few blocks away. He then stole another car from a nearby townhome, located in the 17000 block of 38th Avenue. The homeowner's son told KARE 11 News he saw the suspect in his mother's car, so he jumped into the car -- trying to stop the suspect. The son jumped out of the car, as the suspect drove off.The suspect then led police on a high-speed chase through several western suburbs and into Minneapolis.The man eventually became trapped in a cul-de-sac and was caught by a K9 dog in Bloomington.Both police and witnesses say this crime, while dramatic, could have easily been worse."We were thinking about it afterwards, what if he had come to our door or something," said Maury Johnson, who lives near where the suspect was caught. Police say they're especially concerned by the attempt on an officer's life."We all know what happened back in Lino, and we don't want anything like that to happen to any other police agency," said Capt. Scott Webb of the Plymouth Police Department, referring to the 2007 chase that ended with the suspect hitting and killing Lino Lakes Police Officer Shawn Silvera.The 27-year-old suspect in this case has been treated for dog bites and remains in custody. Police say he did have a female passenger in his car. Investigators have also been questioning her and her possible involvement in the crime.Investigators say the suspect has a lengthy criminal history.
By Karla Hult, KARE 11 News