Police: Man arrested after nearly running over Woodbury officer, fleeing

Law enforcement arrested a 42-year-old man Thursday after he nearly ran over an officer then fled through the Twin Cities, according to the Woodbury Police Department.

Officers found a running vehicle with a man slumped over in the driver’s seat just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the Extended Stay hotel in Woodbury, police say. Officers realized the man was sleeping and woke him, then noticed he appeared impaired from an unknown substance.

Police say the man gave officers a false name before he suddenly put his vehicle in reverse, backed up, knocked an officer over, and took off, nearly running the officer over. As he fled, his truck also hit the officer’s squad car, which was recorded by the squad’s dashcam.

Fortunately, the officer wasn’t seriously injured.

At around 10 a.m., Woodbury officers saw the man’s truck and tried to pull him over. However, the driver fled into St. Paul and then Minneapolis. Eventually, with the help of multiple agencies and some bystanders, who pointed out which way the man was headed, officers found the truck and arrested Thomas Shows.

Police say Shows was booked at the Washington County Jail for assault and fleeing police, and possible charges could include counts for controlled substance possession and having a stolen vehicle.

As of Thursday afternoon, he hadn’t yet been formally charged.