CUSHING, Minn. — The Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating an officer use of force incident following a pursuit Tuesday night in Morrison County.
The BCA says two officers discharged bean bag rounds and chemical munitions.
The BCA identified Joshua Burgardt, an officer of 13 years with the Little Falls Police Department, as one of the officers involved in the incident. The other officer, a Morrison County Sheriff's Office employee, identity is being withheld under Minn. Stat 13.82, subd. 17 (a), which states an officer's identity will be protected when access to the data would reveal the identity of an undercover law enforcement officer, as provided in Minn. Stat 13.43, subd. 5.
The chase began near Browerville Tuesday evening just after 5 p.m. when Todd County Sheriff's Office deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle was part of an ongoing investigation of suspected criminal activity.
The driver of the vehicle didn't stop and the pursuit began east on County Road 16 into Morrison County.
Morrison County Sheriff's deputies and the Minnesota State Patrol assisted in the pursuit, which authorities say reached speeds of 105 miles-per-hour.
The driver shot at law enforcement during the chase before losing control of the vehicle on Highway 10 and crashing into a tree near County Road 16 in Cushing.
Despite officers' commands for the driver the exit the vehicle, the suspect didn't cooperate. Officers fired bean bag rounds to knock out the back window of the vehicle and then fired chemical munitions into the vehicle.
When officers approached the vehicle they located the driver with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. The suspect was taken by ambulance to St. Gabriel's Hospital in Little Falls and then airlifted to North Memorial Hospital, where he is currently being treated.
No officers were injured in the chase.
No body cameras were being worn and the BCA will determine whether squad cameras captured any of the shooting during the pursuit or at the crash site. The BCA recovered a handgun from inside the vehicle.
