Normandale Community College briefly locked down after police chase

After a long career as an air traffic controller, Bill Pekarna is used to stress. "My nature is to be calm," the Lakeville man said.

But on Wednesday, Pekarna faced more stress than he ever experienced in the control tower. His daughter, Maggie, texted that she was in a lockdown at Normandale Community College as police chased a criminal suspect in the area.

Students, faculty and staff were in lockdown for about 80 minutes as police searched the Bloomington campus for a man who fled on foot after crashing his car in a police chase. Nearby Normandale Hills Elementary School was also placed in lockdown.

The incident began when Edina police stopped a car for a traffic violation near W. 70th Street and Metro Boulevard. The car sped off with police in pursuit and crashed near the elementary school. The suspect, a 38-year-old St. Paul man, eventually was found hiding in a gazebo in the 9500 block of Oxborough Curve in Bloomington, Edina police said. He was arrested and is expected to face charges of fleeing police and possession of a stolen motor vehicle, both felonies.

After the lockdown ended around 12:30 p.m., students and staff milled around outside, trying to make sense of the incident. Many said there was confusion about whether the lockdown signal was for real or a drill.

"It was scary," said Cate Grady, a sophomore from Burnsville. "They didn't tell you what to do." Grady said some students were crying as they huddled in the back of their classroom and one appeared to be having a panic attack.

"People were confused," said Annika Dahl, a freshman from Shakopee. She was in a math class when the alarm went off. Her teacher pushed tables in front of the classroom door and shut the lights off.

"I'm extremely upset about the way this was handled," said Cassie Bonstrom, who was taking a proctored exam at the college. When the alarm went off, she and others were hustled into an office with a window and no locks on the door — a situation she considered unsafe. "You're thinking there may be a shooter," said Bonstrom. "In this day and age, that is completely unacceptable."

Ironically, the school had a previously scheduled lockdown drill for Thursday, Maggie Pekarna said. Her dad was just glad to have her safe.

"This will scare the hell out of you as a parent," he said.

John Reinan • 612-673-7402