A man suffered non-life-threatening injuries after being shot by a St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office deputy early Tuesday morning following a high-speed chase on the Iron Range, authorities said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that the shooting happened after a 17-minute pursuit that started in Virginia and continued through Eveleth.
The BCA said the deputy fired his weapon after the suspect drove off the road and fled into the woods west of Eveleth. Authorities did not say how many times the officer fired or describe the nature of the man’s injuries.
The incident started just after midnight when Virginia police officers attempted to stop the man - who authorities said had an active arrest warrant for being a felon in possession of a firearm - along U.S. Highway 53 and Minnesota Highway 169 in Virginia, according to a news release.
The BCA said the pursuit ended with the suspect driving off the road at County Highway 101 and Admiral Road, about six miles west of Eveleth, where he ran into the woods.
“At one point, a pursuing St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office deputy fired his weapon, striking the subject,” the release said. “The subject walked out of the woods and surrendered.”
A firearm was recovered at the scene, the statement added.
The BCA said the man was taken by ambulance to Essentia Health-Virginia and was later airlifted to Essentia Health-St. Mary’s Medical Center in Duluth.
Additional information was not immediately released about the suspect or the deputy involved. The BCA said it was continuing to gather information and their identities would be released after agents complete initial interviews.
The Eveleth Police Department and Minnesota State Patrol also assisted in the incident.
Once the investigation is completed, the findings will be turned over to the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office for review.
