Woman charged with DWI following police chase

A drunk driver led West Hennepin police on a dangerous chase with her two children in the back seat and an open bottle of rum in a diaper bag on Thursday, according to police.

The chase began when Ray McCoy, of the West Hennepin Public Safety, responded to a 911 call about an erratic driver. He located the car on Hwy 12 in Independence and activated his squad car's lights and sirens.

But Monica Mary Margret Say continued driving for over four miles, nearly hitting several vehicles before pulling over to the side of the road, police said. Her children, ages 2 and 4, were not injured. Only one child was in a safety seat.

"She put the kids in very grave danger," McCoy said.

McCoy arrested Say, 30, and transported her to the West Hennepin Public Safety office, where tests showed she had a blood alcohol concentration of .17 -- more than twice the legal limit for driving.

The Hennepin County Attorney's office has charged the Mounds View woman with fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, endangerment of a child, and driving while impaired.

Her children have been temporarily placed in the custody of a family member pending an investigation, McCoy said.