A police chase that caused at least one damaged police cruiser and one accident in downtown Elk River ultimately ended in Otsego Wednesday, Oct. 21 with authorities waiting for another day to arrest the man they were looking for during the pursuit.
The chase, according to multiple reports, including audio obtained by Police Clips, started near the FedEx facility in Rogers around 8 a.m. and wound through Rogers, Elk River, Albertville and Otsego before ending in the area of Wright County Highway 37 and Minnesota Highway 101.
Related: Police Clips audio of Oct. 21 chase
Along the way, Elk River High School and elementary schools were put on lockdown, including Otsego Elementary, which operated in what the district called “secure mode” with Wright County Sheriff’s Office deputies in the area on standby to assist the school. A trio of squad cars parked in the Otsego Elementary parking lot.
Rogers Police Chief Jeff Beahen said the pursuit actually started Tuesday night after a single-vehicle rollover accident near Main Street and Interstate 94. The man left the scene, bloodied, but able to run.
Wednesday morning FedEx employees called RPD about a suspicious man in the woods near the distribution facility.
The man was chased an apprehended, found in possession of bullets and heroin. Bullets matched a gun found in the rolled over vehicle.
The Star News in Elk River reports moments after that arrest, a Jeep Cherokee came on scene and officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver, with one female passenger, took off. That led to the chase.
Elk River High School Principal Terry Bizal communicated with officers as the chase came into his area, and the school was locked down for about five minutes during the morning sessions. That was practical, as the chase wound through the ERHS parking lot shortly after student arrivals.
Then, the Star News reports, the chase headed west, and eventually south.
“The suspect is believed to have caused a crash at the intersection of Jackson Avenue and Main Street before cutting through the parking lot behind Kemper Drug and then getting back on to Main Street and taking the Parrish Avenue bridge into Otsego.
Authorities eventually lost site of the fleeing motorist when he cut into a townhome development near Otsego Elementary School.”
Wright County authorities told media outlets they were familiar with the suspect and were hopeful of a future arrest.