State Patrol arrests driver allegedly on meth after 30-mile, 80-minute pursuit from Twin Cities to St. Michael

A high-speed driver fleeing the Minnesota State Patrol left a 30-mile path of destruction across the Twin Cities before he was caught in a backyard in Wright County.

The Wednesday night chase was the second time this week that Charles Stiller, 23, of Waverly, Minn., fled law enforcement in a vehicle, according to court records.

Stiller struck cars, toppled fences and damaged yards as he drove erratically through north Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park and other communities before his arrest in St. Michael, according to court documents and a State Patrol spokesman.

The chase began just before 10 p.m. when a trooper saw Stiller weaving across traffic lanes on westbound Interstate 94 near Dowling Avenue and stopped him. Stiller briefly pulled over, then took off, according to a search warrant application in Hennepin County.

Troopers eventually broke off pursuit, but a State Patrol helicopter continued to follow Stiller as he “drove through multiple fences and damaged public and private property” while going the wrong way on city streets and highways, the application said.

For nearly 80 minutes, Stiller sped through the northwest metro before turning onto 1st Street in St. Michael.

Annie Haffner said she was at home when police drove by and she heard what sounded like a crash. She said she looked out her back door and saw a car had smashed through a neighbor’s fence. She said the driver had abandoned it and fled on foot, chased by Wright County sheriff’s deputies.

“Officers told us to lock our doors and stay in,” Haffner said, who watched the commotion that ended just three doors down from her deck. “It was wild.”

Another neighbor, Katie Klaus, saw police swarming the area.

“Police were walking down the street with rifles,” said Klaus, who watched the search from her home. “They were yelling, ‘Come out, come out.’ I’ve never seen so many cops in such a small area.”

Officers found a backpack that Stiller had reportedly tossed as he ran through yards and hid near a shed. His driver’s license was inside, along with a glass pipe and tinfoil.

“He admitted to using both methamphetamine and fentanyl,” the search warrant application said.

Stiller was taken to HCMC in Minneapolis and later booked into the Hennepin County jail on probable cause of fleeing police and fourth-degree assault. He remained in custody Friday morning, jail records show.

Stiller, who has an extensive history of fleeing police, had been charged with that offense earlier this week in Dakota County District Court.

On Sunday, police had identified Stiller as a shoplifting suspect and tried to stop him as he drove through red lights on Cedar Avenue in Lakeville. At one point, he drove north in the southbound lanes, “causing several vehicles to swerve out of the way,” a criminal complaint said.

Officers ended the pursuit but later spotted Stiller’s vehicle at a gas station. He again took off, driving over a snowbank and sidewalk as fled, the complaint said.

Police body cameras and gas station surveillance video matched Stiller’s driver’s license and previous booking photos. Officers also learned Stiller was wanted for fleeing police in Blaine, the complaint said.

Damage reports were still coming in Thursday.

“Unfortunately, a lot of damage occurred to homes, cars, fences, yards,” Brooklyn Center police said.

“If you believe your property was damaged by the suspect yesterday evening, call 911 and ask to speak with a Brooklyn Center police officer.”

Paul Walsh of the Minnesota Star Tribune contributed to this story.