ST PAUL, Minn. — A trio of teenagers is in custody after allegedly engaging in a shootout and highspeed chase, finally crashing a stolen vehicle into a restaurant in St. Paul, according to the SPPD.
Squads were called to the 300 block of Luella Street North shortly before 4:30 p.m. Wednesday on a report of two vehicles shooting at each other, according to the department.
While responding officers encountered a black Jeep with a broken rear window near Minnehaha Avenue, which they believed to be one of the vehicles involved in the shooting incident. SPPD said officers tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the Jeep sped away.
A pursuit was authorized due to the belief that the Jeep had been involved in the shooting.
The driver of the Jeep ended up heading west on I-94, reaching a speed of up to 90 miles per hour, according to SPPD, and squads ended up terminating the chase after the Jeep entered downtown St. Paul.
Eventually, police say the Jeep struck a passenger car driving north at Wall and 6th Streets. After colliding with the other vehicle, the Jeep veered into the Ox Cart Ale House. Police say there haven't been any reported injuries related to the crash.
Three occupants of the Jeep, two 18-year-olds and one 17-year-old, were taken into custody. SPPD says investigators located a handgun in the Jeep that was equipped with a switch, allowing it to be fired as an automatic weapon.
A records check showed the Jeep itself was stolen from St. Paul, according to the department.
Following the crash, the St. Paul Fire Department and St. Paul Department of Safety Inspection deemed the building safe but reported some damage to the restaurant interior.
SPPD says it has not located anyone who was hurt in the original shooting that prompted the police response, but officers did locate bullet casings at the scene on Luella Street.
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