Lockdown at State Capitol lifted; 4 teens in custody following 2 crashes with stolen vehicle

UPDATE 5/19/22: Police say four teens are in custody after crashing a stolen vehicle both into a St. Paul squad car and the State of Minnesota parking lot, despite an attempt by three of the teens to evade officers in a portable toilet.

According to St. Paul police, a patrol officer spotted a stolen vehicle in the area of Blair and Western at about 7:20 p.m. Wednesday that was driving recklessly.

According to police, multiple teenage passengers were hanging out of the windows, and when the officer tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver continued on.

A State Patrol helicopter was in flight nearby and tracked the vehicle, which was soon joined by another stolen vehicle out of Edina.

They were then tracked to Woodbury, and the stolen St. Paul vehicle drove over stop sticks.

Police say three of the teens got out and then got into the stolen Edina vehicle, which went back to St. Paul.

Officials say while the vehicle made its way toward the Capitol, it hit a westbound marked squad car on University and Park at 40 mph.

A police spokesman says the officer didn’t immediately report any injuries.

The vehicle then crashed in the State of Minnesota parking lot, according to police.

That’s when four people got out, with three of them attempting to hide in a portable toilet.

The fourth, identified as a 15-year-old boy, was the driver, and ran into a building.

All four were quickly arrested without incident due to being tracked by the helicopter.

According to police, the passengers were 12-, 13- and 15-years-old.

A news release sent by the press secretary for the House Speaker was sent out Wednesday evening, saying the crash caused the House to go into recess, and staff members were requested to stay in the Chamber.

In addition, the Capitol Complex was put on lockdown for a period of time due to police activity.

That lockdown has since been lifted.

An earlier version of this report can be found below.

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INITIAL REPORT 5/18/22: A police pursuit Wednesday evening that ended outside the Minnesota State Capitol resulted in a brief lockdown.

According to a news release, a police pursuit ended outside of the Capitol building in St. Paul during the state House floor session.

The house went into a recess, and lawmakers and legislative staff were asked to shelter in place inside the House chamber.

The entire Capitol complex was placed on a lockdown, which has since been lifted.

It’s unclear what prompted the police pursuit.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has reached out to law enforcement officials for more information on the incident and is awaiting a response.