A 35-year-old Faribault man is facing seven criminal charges after police say he led officers on a reckless, high-speed chase through city neighborhoods that ended with two squad cars struck and damaged. Mohamed Hussein Lohos was formally charged on Sept. 2 in Rice County District Court following the Aug. 31 pursuit, which began after an off-duty officer reported a red vehicle driving recklessly and stopped in the middle of the road before swerving into oncoming traffic.
The charges include two felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, two felony counts of first-degree damage to property, a gross misdemeanor count of third-degree driving while impaired with an aggravating factor, and a misdemeanor count of failure to stop after a collision, according to the criminal complaint cited by MN Crime. Southernminn.com reported that a Faribault man was taken into custody after a Monday evening chase that damaged two police cruisers and multiple parked vehicles.
A Chase That Started With a Near Head-On Collision
According to the complaint, Faribault police officers located the vehicle on 9th Avenue Southwest and clocked it traveling 60 mph in a 30 mph zone. Separately, quickcountry.com reported that the vehicle nearly caused a head-on collision and had earlier stopped in the street without apparent reason before driving recklessly and fleeing.
Police say the vehicle then drove across a curb and a grassy area and through an apartment complex parking lot where children were reportedly outside. A woman at the complex told investigators the fleeing vehicle struck a parked car, and the owner of that vehicle reported damage to its rear bumper, according to the complaint. Surveillance video from the complex reportedly showed the vehicle drive onto the grass, strike the parked car and exit through the parking lot. The vehicle then failed to stop for emergency lights and sirens and turned onto 12th Street Southwest and Autumn Drive, per the complaint.
Squad Cars Rammed as Pursuit Continued
The complaint states the vehicle struck a marked squad car positioned in its path while an officer was inside, then continued the pursuit before a front passenger tire went flat and officers temporarily lost sight of it. Both squad cars sustained front-end damage, and one had its push bumper pushed into the vehicle's frame, the complaint states. y105fm.com reported that two squad cars were struck during the pursuit and that no officer injuries were reported.
An officer first located the vehicle parked on Spring Road Southwest. Lohos got out and ran, then returned to the vehicle and attempted to drive away, according to the complaint. Officers later located the vehicle again, and a second officer blocked it with a marked squad car, lights and siren activated. Police say Lohos then accelerated into that squad car while the officer was still inside. Southernminn.com reported that Lohos fled from police at 6:16 p.m. before crashing minutes later, with the vehicle becoming disabled in the 800 block of Spring Road — the same stretch where the second standoff unfolded, according to the complaint. The incident began shortly after 6 p.m., per y105fm.com.
Suspect Ran, Then Jumped Back Behind the Wheel
After getting out of the vehicle, Lohos ran, then ran back toward it and jumped into the driver's seat, ignoring a uniformed officer's commands to get on the ground, the complaint states. He put the vehicle in drive and attempted to drive away again before officers removed him and took him to a hospital. An officer reported observing Lohos making incoherent sounds and behaving erratically, and believed, per the complaint, that he was under the influence of an intoxicating substance.
While officers were informing him about the blood-warrant process, Lohos reportedly said he had been “smoking gas” and drinking, and told officers, “Yep I soon be out drink. I was drink,” according to the complaint. Whether anyone was injured in the pursuit is not specified in the complaint. Lohos was released from the hospital at 11:52 a.m. the next day and taken into police custody, southernminn.com reported.
Search Turned Up Alcohol, Blood Draw Still Pending Results
A search of the vehicle turned up several miniature Fireball alcohol bottles — ten that appeared full and one empty, according to the complaint. Officers obtained a search warrant for Lohos's blood, which was drawn at 7:15 p.m. on Aug. 31; results of that test remain pending. The complaint also notes Lohos has a prior DWI conviction, which serves as the aggravating factor behind the third-degree DWI charge he now faces.
What Lohos Could Face Under Minnesota Law
Under Minnesota state law, each count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, a fine of up to $14,000, or both. Separately, Minnesota's fleeing-a-peace-officer statute defines “flee,” in part, as acting “to increase speed,” according to the Minnesota Revisor's Office. No court docket, plea or sentencing outcome has been made available in connection with the case.
