2 killed in Burnsville crash after police chase
Updated: 1:32 p.m. | Posted: 6:36 a.m.
A driver fleeing from Apple Valley and Burnsville police was fatally injured in a crash that also killed another motorist on County Road 5 in the Twin Cities' southern suburbs on Monday night.
The crash happened at about 8:25 p.m. at County Road 5 near 131st Street in Burnsville, according to Col. Matt Langer, chief of the Minnesota State Patrol, which is leading the investigation into the crash.
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The man being pursued by police was a suspect in a hit-and-run collision with another vehicle in Savage at 8:09 p.m. An Apple Valley police officer saw the Chevy Astro driven by the suspect about 10 minutes later and started the pursuit, which was joined by at least two more Apple Valley squad cars and one Burnsville squad car.
About 8 miles into the pursuit, the suspect crashed into an oncoming Toyota and damaged two power poles, bringing down power lines on the van the suspect was driving. Both the suspect and a woman driving the Toyota were killed.
Burnsville Police Chief Eric Gieseke asked the Minnesota State Patrol to investigate the crash, Langer said.
"Last night, there was certainly a driver involved in this fatal crash that made a bad choice, not only in Savage, but continued to make bad choices going down the road, and made incredibly poor choices that resulted in the death of another motorist on our roadway," Langer said. "These are always tragic situations, and our hearts go out to the families that are involved."
No decision has been reached on whether the officers involved in the incident will remain on active duty during the investigation, said Apple Valley Police Chief Jon Rechtzigel.
The Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training requires each law enforcement agency in the state to have a policy about pursuits.
The Apple Valley Police Department's policy states that a pursuit is justified "when a vehicle operator refuses to stop after being given a visual and audible signal to stop by a police officer" and when there's a reasonable expectation of success. Rechtzigel said he believes under these guidelines that the pursuit was justified.
The Burnsville Police Department policy states that officers may "initiate a pursuit when it is reasonable to believe that a serious offense against a person has occurred and a suspect is attempting to evade arrest or detention by fleeing in a vehicle that has been given a signal to stop by a peace officer... ."
Neither victim has been identified. Langer said the Hennepin County Medical Examiner will release the victims' names.