A routine Tuesday evening on westbound I-94 near Monticello got a jolt when a report of someone pointing a gun on the interstate turned into a full-on pursuit and tactical stop, ending near 32nd Street and landing a 36-year-old St. Cloud man in jail.
According to KNSI, Minnesota State Patrol troopers were called out at 6:53 p.m. for a gun-pointing report on I-94 near County Road 18 in Monticello. Troopers soon spotted a red Ford Edge headed west and tried to pull it over, but the driver allegedly refused to yield.
What followed was a rolling pursuit involving troopers and local officers. Spike strips were deployed, and the Ford eventually exited at County Road 75. A PIT maneuver was then used to stop the vehicle near 32nd Street, and the driver was taken into custody, according to KNSI. He was transported to the Wright County Jail on suspicion of fleeing police in a motor vehicle, second-degree assault and possession of narcotics. The reported gun-pointing incident and the chase remain under investigation.
Arrest and booking
The suspect was booked into the Wright County Jail, the county corrections facility for adults arrested in Wright County. The jail’s public pages list visiting hours, booking reports and the facility’s address at 3800 NE Braddock Ave. in Buffalo, and note a licensed capacity of about 288 inmates. The Wright County site also posts daily booking data and visitation rules for anyone checking custody status, according to Wright County.
Charges and investigation
Authorities say the man is being held on suspicion of fleeing police in a motor vehicle, second-degree assault and possession of narcotics, per KNSI. The outlet reports the case is still under investigation, and local agencies have not released additional information about the original gun-pointing report or what was found during the stop.
How the chase ended and what it means
Troopers ended the pursuit with spike strips and a PIT maneuver, a precision immobilization technique that officers train to use at controlled speeds to force a fleeing vehicle to spin and stop, according to Police1. Training and official reporting highlight PITs as a way to shut down dangerous pursuits when they are used carefully, but investigative reporting has also documented cases where PITs performed at higher speeds led to serious injury or death, underscoring the risks that come with forcible stops, per the San Francisco Chronicle.
Drivers should also be aware that I-94 between Albertville and Monticello is an active construction corridor, with lane shifts and periodic closures that can complicate enforcement and make the stretch more hazardous, according to MnDOT’s I-94 project information.
Local and state investigators continue to piece together exactly what happened before and during the pursuit. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Minnesota State Patrol or the Wright County Sheriff’s Office. This story will be updated if officials release additional details.
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