Woman charged with assault following police chase in Carver County

A Bloomington woman has been charged with assault after allegedly pointing a gun at two police officers during a vehicle pursuit in the western Twin Cities metro area Tuesday night. 

At least one officer fired their weapon during the chase in Carver County, which ended in a crash followed by negotiations that lasted more than four hours before the woman was taken into custody.

The South Lake Minnetonka Police Department said officers attempted to make a traffic stop after running a car’s license plates and finding that the owner, Amanda Nelson, 33, had a warrant out of Illinois for assaulting an officer. The criminal complaint said Nelson failed to stop and officers pursued her vehicle onto Highway 7.

According to charging documents, officers attempted multiple maneuvers to stop the car. Nelson’s vehicle eventually spun out. 

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Two officers reported that Nelson pointed a handgun at them through her car windows when they attempted to stop and approach her vehicle. One officer fired his gun through his window in response, and Nelson continued to flee.

Officers performed a maneuver that caused Nelson’s vehicle to roll over along Highway 41, south of Highway 5. Authorities from multiple departments responded and negotiated with Nelson for nearly four and a half hours before pulling her from the car and taking her into custody. 

According to charging documents, a handgun and a knife were found at the scene.

Authorities said no injuries were reported. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident.