ROBBINSDALE, Minn. — A woman is dead and her husband is in critical condition after a speeding driver crashed into their vehicle in Robbinsdale.
According to information from Robbinsdale police, an officer saw a vehicle speeding on 42nd Avenue North near Highway 100 around 8:15 p.m. on Saturday, July 8.
The officer caught up to the vehicle and tried to initiate a traffic stop, police said, but as the officer turned on their lights, the other vehicle accelerated, fleeing police.
Officials said the officer then turned off their lights and radioed other squads about the suspect's vehicle, saying he was not in pursuit.
Several blocks later, the suspect, identified in a search warrant as a 20-year-old from Minneapolis, crashed into a vehicle on 36th Avenue. KARE 11 typically does not name suspects until they've been formally charged.
Cell phone video shared with KARE 11 showed officers taking the driver of a white Tesla into custody.
Neighbor Landon Casserly was inside when he heard the crash and said they came outside when they heard a loud bang.
"The car was wrapped around the pole, you couldn't even tell it was a Tesla and the other car, was a minivan, that thing was destroyed too," Casserly said.
The driver and passenger of the struck vehicle, a husband and wife, were taken to North Memorial Hospital. There the woman, who was driving, was pronounced dead and her husband remains in critical condition.
A GoFundMe page identified the couple as Emily and John Gerding. According to the fundraiser, the Gerdings were special education teachers in the Anoka-Hennepin School District and were about to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary in August. They have two daughters, a 6-year-old and an almost 3-year-old, who were not in the car at the time of the crash.
"The family is facing significant expenses for Emily's funeral, John's ongoing medical care, and looking toward their girls' future. All donations will go to John and their girls," the page said.
Nearly $50,000 has been raised for the family as of Monday afternoon. A CaringBridge site is also sharing updates on John's recovery.
Police said the 20-year-old driver of the fleeing vehicle was taken to North Memorial with non-life-threatening injuries. He was placed under arrest and taken to Hennepin County Adult Detention Center on probable cause Criminal Vehicular Operation. The Department of Public Safety says the 20-year-old didn't have a Minnesota driver's license, rather an instruction permit.
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