3 arrested after attempted theft from car, crash at childcare center in St. Paul Monday

St. Paul police say they arrested three people Monday afternoon after they fled from officers and crashed into a childcare center following an attempted theft from a car.

The St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) said in a news release they responded to a report of a theft from a car at the 1200 block of Juliet Avenue around 3:15 p.m. Monday. The caller described the suspect’s vehicle as a gray Audi with multiple people inside wearing black masks.

Officers noted in the news release that they were previously notified that the same gray Audi, which was stolen out of Minnetonka, had been involved in a Minneapolis robbery where five suspects were armed with handguns.

Police say the same stolen Audi was also involved in a theft from a vehicle call just before the Juliet Avenue incident.

St. Paul police said the vehicle owner on Juliet Avenue shouted at the suspects as two of them tried to break into his car. The suspects then retreated to the stolen Audi, and one suspect armed with a handgun made a motion toward a worker, who was watching from across the street, to be quiet.

When Ramsey County deputies arrived, SPPD said the Audi fled from the neighborhood and turned northbound onto Pascal Street. When the Audi reached Grand Avenue, it didn’t stop at a stop sign and hit a car driving east on Grand Avenue.

The crash caused the Audi to jump the curb and hit a nearby childcare center called Kinderberry Hill, according to law enforcement. No children were injured and the driver who was hit was evaluated by medics and released.

Witnesses said they saw the suspects running north, away from the crash scene, and that one was carrying a handgun.

SPPD said after a foot chase, three suspects were detained: a 15, 17, and 20-year-old. Two other suspects were not found.

The 20-year-old suspect was apprehended by a St. Paul Police K9, according to the news release from SPPD. A canine search of the area recovered two handguns, one of which was stolen out of Edina.

The two juvenile suspects were placed at the Ramsey County Juvenile Detention Center. The 20-year-old suspect will be booked into the Ramsey County Jail after being treated at Regions Hospital.

All suspects were held for multiple felony charges.