ST PAUL, Minn. — A man who police say robbed a St. Paul business is in custody following a standoff with officers and pursuit that wound along a number of Twin Cities highways.
St. Paul police spokesperson Sergeant Natalie Davis said squads were dispatched around noon Wednesday to Beyond & Tobacco on the 800 block of Arcade Street on reports of an aggravated robbery. One victim told dispatchers that a man robbed the store and threatened an employee with a gun in the process.
Responding St. Paul officers spotted the suspect's vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop but the man took off, driving onto Interstate 94 with squads in pursuit. MnDOT traffic cameras showed the suspect driving through stop sticks as he drove west, eventually turning on to Highway 55 and heading into the north side of Minneapolis.
Shortly after the suspect entered Minneapolis, police say he crashed into a commercial vehicle in the 2900 block of Newton Avenue North.
In a press release, Minneapolis police said the suspect remained in the vehicle and made multiple threats against officers and anyone else who approached the car.
Minneapolis SWAT spoke with the suspect over the next four hours, and according to police, after extensive conversation the suspect surrendered to officers. Reports say the man's mother was one of those trying to convince him to surrender safely.
After being taken into police custody, the man was treated at a local hospital for minor injuries he suffered during the crash.