A man is dead after police shot him as he drove a stolen car toward officers at a traffic stop in north Minneapolis early Thursday.

Police said two squad cars had pulled a car over on a routine traffic stop and were parked in the street. Around the same time, another squad car was following the stolen vehicle, driven by 23-year-old Ahmed Mohammed Guled.

"As the car was coming down it was coming so fast," said witness Kelvin Ewing, who was in the back of a squad car that belonged to one of the officers involved in the incident. "I was telling myself, 'Should I get out or should I just sit in the car?"

"I heard on the intercom, 'We're behind a stolen car and it's coming down Broadway about to turn on Morgan.' I thought about it and thought God, I'm on Morgan," witness Demarcus Washington told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS.

Police said Guled, of St. Paul, sped up and aimed the stolen car at officers in the street. Officers shot at the driver to stop him. The suspect died at the scene. The medical examiner said Guled died from multiple gunshot wounds.

Ewing told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS he heard the officers shouting for the suspect to stop several times before they opened fire. However, Washington said he didn't agree with their response.

"It's ridiculous. Why did they have to do that? They could have shot out his tires or something like that," he said.

"The vehicle is a weapon. You can use it as a weapon," explained Sgt. Jesse Garcia.

No one else was hurt, but it's left the neighborhood around Morgan Avenue North shaken.

"If a police officer is telling you to stop, stop. He didn't have to die," said Brandon Williams who lives near the scene.

Six officers are on standard paid administrative leave after the shooting--three officers who were involved and three who witnessed it.

According to court documents, Guled had appeared in Hennepin County court just last week for trespassing. They also show he had a lengthy criminal record, dating back to 2004 for a variety of offenses including robbery, drug possession, and giving police false information.