Police: St. Paul man stole car while driver was taking roadside sobriety test

St. Paul police say a man stole a car while its owner was taking field sobriety tests during a traffic stop, then arrested later the same night.

The suspect has been identified as Kyle Stuart Vanwert, 39. He is also facing burglary charges from a case in April.

The incident began just after 6 p.m. on Sunday, when St. Paul police pulled a car over in the 800 block of West 7th Street on suspicion of drunk driving. While the woman was undergoing field sobriety tests with police, a man “suddenly” jumped into the car and drove off with it, St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said.

The owner told police she had an AirTag tracking device inside the car. Officers from multiple police agencies were alerted to help locate the vehicle, Ernster said. Richfield and Bloomington police officers located the vehicle in Richfield near the intersection of Nicollet Avenue and 77th Street.

The officers arrested Vanwert, and Ernster said police identified him as the man who took the vehicle on 7th Street. He was booked into Ramsey County Jail and remained there on Monday.

The woman whose car was stolen was found to not be driving over the legal limit for alcohol concentration and her vehicle was returned to her, Ernster said.

On April 24, Vanwert was charged with first-degree burglary, after charges say he caused property damage to a fifth-floor apartment at the Dorothy Day Residence complex, where Vanwert lived. He was accused of breaking into another resident’s apartment with a hammer. His attorney for the burglary case did not return requests for comment Monday.

Vanwert was issued a conditional release on Sept. 10, after posting $10,000 bail. The release was granted on the requirement that Vanwert be transferred to in an in-patient treatment facility.