A 48-year-old man with a child in his car took police on a high-speed chase starting in Owatonna late Sunday before he was caught in Austin, Minn., more than 10 hours later.
High-speed chase in southern Minnesota leads to 10-hour standoff, recovery of child in Austin
Austin police persuaded the suspect to surrender.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
July 8, 2024 at 9:57PM
The Austin Police Department said in a news release that officers in Owatonna approached the suspect shortly before 10:30 p.m. Sunday night after a disturbance was reported at a local store. The man fled police, hitting a nearby squad car in the process, and officers noticed the child in the suspect’s car.
The Star Tribune typically does not identify suspects in a crime before they are charged.
The State Patrol pursued the suspect down Hwy. 218 into Austin, at one point using stop sticks to deflate the man’s tires before he stopped outside a relative’s home in the 1700 block of 4th Avenue NW., police said.
It took negotiators 10 hours to persuade the man to surrender peacefully. The man had knives, bear spray and a can of gasoline in the front seat, according to police. Officers safely recovered the child, who was released to family.
Austin Police Capt. Todd Clennon praised officers and negotiators for calming the suspect.
“We just did not know what he was capable of,” Clennon said. “He was very volatile.”
The suspect is being held in the Mower County jail pending charges, which could include fleeing from police, child endangerment and reckless driving.
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