Mayhem in St. Paul suburbs: Carjackings, fleeing suspects, false call of a woman shot

An investigation involving carjackings, fleeing suspects and a false report of someone being shot kept Ramsey County deputies busy overnight in the suburbs just north of St. Paul, officials said Tuesday.

The mayhem began late Monday in Little Canada with a deputy spotting a speeding vehicle and ended with officers searching for two carjackers, said Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Linders.

"It was a crazy night," Sheriff Bob Fletcher said Tuesday morning as he reviewed details of the chaotic events.

According to the Sheriff's Office:

About 11 p.m., a deputy tried to pull over a speeding vehicle near County Road C and Little Canada Road. But the driver took off, and the deputy gave pursuit. It was later learned that the vehicle had been stolen out of Brooklyn Park.

During the chase, the deputy was told that a 911 caller said a woman had just been carjacked and shot near Interstate 35E and Little Canada Road — and her vehicle was the one the deputy was pursuing. That call, however, turned out to be false, Fletcher said.

The vehicle that was being chased soon pulled over, but two men ran from it and tried to carjack another vehicle "while clearly displaying a handgun," Linders said. However, the carjacking failed, and the men returned to the vehicle they had abandoned and drove off.

A second deputy joined the pursuit on Interstate 694, just west of Lexington Avenue near Arden Hills, and used his squad car to stop the fleeing car.

The two men again fled on foot, but two women with them were apprehended. One of them "appeared to be overdosing," and deputies had to treat her while until emergency medical responders arrived.

In the meantime, the fleeing men split up and carjacked separate vehicles. One of the vehicles was found abandoned in Mounds View, while the other had yet to be located, Linders said Tuesday.