CRYSTAL, Minn. — An officer with the Crystal Police Department was seriously injured and three people are in custody following a Minnesota State Patrol pursuit Thursday afternoon.
The officer was transported to a hospital with "serious but non-life threatening" injuries after being struck and run over by the vehicle involved in the pursuit.
“It’s horrific," Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering said. "This is horrible, this is something that police departments do not want to see happen.”
According to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, early investigations show one officer fired at the vehicle after the officer was struck. Revering said the officer fired one shot but did not hit anybody. That officer that fired their weapon is currently on standard administrative leave.
One suspect was treated for "superficial injuries" at the scene, but the news release says it's unclear how the individual was injured, but say it's not from the shot fired.
Hadi Mo, a business owner who saw the aftermath of the chase from his store window in Crystal, described the scene as a "bad, bad situation." His cell phone video captured officers taking a suspect into custody from the driver's side of a car. It also showed officers surrounding the injured Crystal officer on the ground.
The pursuit began shortly after 1 p.m. when a Minnesota State Patrol trooper attempted to stop a vehicle for speeding on Interstate 694 at Highway 169. According to the release, the driver of the vehicle failed to stop and led troopers on a pursuit.
During the pursuit, the vehicle was boxed in by squad cars from the State Patrol and the Crystal Police Department near 57th Avenue North and West Broadway Avenue in Crystal. While attempting to take the suspects into custody, the release says those in the vehicle attempted to flee again, and in doing so, struck and ran over one Crystal police officer and damaged "several" police vehicles.
The three suspects, which include an 18-year-old man and two juvenile males, were taken into custody and are being held at Hennepin County Jail.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation.
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