Stabbing victim hospitalized after pursuit in Mankato; BCA investigating

State law enforcement officers are investigating a police pursuit in Mankato Tuesday afternoon that led to the discovery of a stabbing victim.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says Mankato police responded to a report of an erratic driver at around 1:30 p.m. Officers initially started pursuing the vehicle but quickly ended those efforts. However, because the vehicle continued to flee erratically, officers restarted their pursuit.

Eventually, the driver of the fleeing vehicle turned down a dead-end road, and an officer used his squad car to hit and stop the vehicle.

The BCA says both the driver of the fleeing vehicle and the officer who hit the vehicle suffered minor injuries and were taken to a hospital. The officer was released later in the day.

However, officers also found a woman in the fleeing vehicle that was suffering from several stab wounds. She was taken to a hospital in critical condition for treatment of life-threatening injuries, according to the BCA, and officers also recovered a knife at the scene.

The BCA is investigating both the pursuit and the stabbing.

The agency says the involved officer was wearing a body camera and had a squad camera, both of which captured parts of the incident.

Agents are now reviewing that video and gathering more information.