A 45-year-old Saint Paul woman is facing four criminal charges after police say she assaulted her ex-boyfriend and bit a bartender during a fight at a Bloomington restaurant, then led officers on a brief car chase that ended when a patrol vehicle rammed her car to a stop. Lakeisha Nasha Yates left Chevy's Fresh Mex in a gray Nissan Versa on August 15 after the altercation, and was arrested a short distance away.
According to charges filed in Hennepin County District Court, as reported by MN Crime, police responded to reports of a man and woman fighting inside the bar at Chevy's Fresh Mex, located at 2251 Killebrew Drive across from the Mall of America. The victim told police he and Yates had dated for six months but were no longer together, and both he and Yates had been drinking, a detail bar staff confirmed to investigators.
A Comment From a Server Sparked the Fight
Prosecutors say the confrontation began after a server touched the victim's shoulders and made a comment to him, which prompted Yates to become assaultive, per the charges detailed by MN Crime. She allegedly threw several drinks and food items at the victim, hit him on his right side, and ripped a chain from his neck, breaking it in the process. The victim was left with scratch marks from the encounter.
The bar's manager reported that staff intervened when Yates became animated, pushed items off the bar and yelled, according to the charging documents. During the chaos, Yates allegedly bit one bartender and scratched another. Despite the physical altercation, the bartenders who were targeted declined to pursue charges themselves — though Minnesota prosecutors retain independent authority to file charges based on police evidence and public safety concerns regardless of a victim's wishes, a legal reality confirmed by MN Crime's reporting.
Police Say She Fled, Then Refused to Stop
As Yates drove away from the bar, an officer spotted the Nissan near 24th Avenue and Lindau Lane and observed it drift left across the lane line, according to the charges. The officer ordered the driver to pull over using a patrol car's microphone before activating emergency lights, and then the siren, when the car did not comply.
The Nissan stopped briefly before accelerating away again, prosecutors allege, prompting officers to pursue the vehicle for about six-tenths of a mile before using a Pursuit Intervention Technique, or PIT maneuver, to force the car to a stop. The tactic involves a patrol vehicle striking the rear quarter panel of a fleeing car to spin it out and end a chase, a maneuver Minnesota officers have used in other pursuits, including one chase that ended in an Apple Valley smashup.
Signs of Impairment and a Refused Breath Test
Once stopped, police noted Yates had a moderate odor of alcohol, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, the charges state. Officers read her the breath test advisory twice and asked three times whether she wanted to consult an attorney, but she refused to answer yes or no and said she could not decide, according to the charging documents. Yates ultimately refused the breath test altogether, telling officers she declined because of life, per the account in the charges.
Under Minnesota's Implied Consent Law, officers are required to read drivers a standardized advisory explaining that refusing a chemical test is itself a crime and to give them a reasonable window to consult an attorney before the test is administered, according to legal analysis from Ramsay Law Firm PLLC. That refusal is charged separately from any impairment finding, and carries its own gross-misdemeanor exposure. Police also reported that Yates removed her clothing during booking despite officers' commands to remain clothed, before she was escorted to the holding tank.
Four Charges, Steep Statutory Exposure
Yates now faces fifth-degree assault, disorderly conduct, refusal to submit to a chemical test, and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, according to the Hennepin County charges. The fleeing charge is the most serious of the four: under Minnesota Statute § 609.487 Subdivision 3, it is a felony carrying a maximum sentence of three years and one day in prison and a fine of up to $5,000, according to statutory language reviewed by the State of Minnesota District Court.
The test refusal charge is a gross misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute § 169A.20 Subdivision 2, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a $3,000 fine, and an administrative license revocation of at least one year, per Ramsay Law Firm PLLC's breakdown of the statute. The fifth-degree assault charge, meanwhile, is a misdemeanor under Minnesota Statute § 609.224 Subdivision 1 carrying a maximum of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine, according to Birkholz Law. That charge could be enhanced to a gross misdemeanor or felony if Yates has prior qualifying domestic violence-related convictions within the past decade, per Minnesota Statute § 609.224 Subdivision 2 as outlined by the Nickell Law Firm — though whether any such prior convictions exist in Yates's record remains unclear. The disorderly conduct charge, under Minnesota Statute § 609.72 Subdivision 1, carries the same 90-day, $1,000 maximum.
Case Now Before Hennepin County Court
Charges were filed August 17 in Hennepin County District Court, which is part of the Fourth Judicial District and handles felony and misdemeanor proceedings for Minneapolis and 45 surrounding municipalities. Felony arraignments and trials in the district are held at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis. As of this reporting, no court date has been set for Yates's case.
