A man shot by law enforcement officers after a pursuit Monday morning from Waite Park to Milaca is believed to be a 28-year-old Willmar man. Kandiyohi County authorities were asked to assist in locating the man prior to the chase.
The man was flown to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, where he is in critical condition, according to a news release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety. The incident is under investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
No officers were hurt. Four state troopers and two Mille Lacs County sheriff's deputies were put on administrative leave.
The pursuit began around 3:30 a.m. Monday and ended on state Highway 23 near Milaca. A state trooper conducted a pursuit intervention technique to stop the suspect. Multiple law enforcement agencies were involved, including the State Patrol, Mille Lacs Tribal, St. Joseph and St. Cloud police and sheriff's offices from Benton, Mille Lacs and Stearns counties.
The incident appears to have begun in Meeker County, where dispatch received a call around 12:40 a.m. reporting a possible drunken driver headed northbound from Litchfield on state Highway 24. The caller also advised that the driver had made earlier suicidal threats, according to information from Sheriff Mike Hirman.
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Deputies from Meeker County and Eden Valley police officers searched the area. The abandoned vehicle was later found by Stearns County sheriff's deputies.
Reports show that Kandiyohi County authorities were called around 1 a.m. to assist in locating the suspect. He had rammed another car with his vehicle and had also kicked his passenger out. Around 3 a.m., local officials received another attempt-to-locate call from Stearns County, stating that there had been a home invasion around 2:50 a.m. on Lake Koronis.
An elderly homeowner had been assaulted with a handgun, and the suspect had taken a green Hyundai from the residence.
