1 arrested following alleged carjacking, pursuit in St. Paul

A man was arrested early Wednesday morning following a police chase after officers say he was responsible for a carjacking the day before in St. Paul.

Officers from the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) were called to Regions Hospital around 7:45 a.m. on Tuesday to meet with a victim who reported a carjacking that had happened in the Aldi parking lot on the 2400 block of 7th Street West.

The victim told officers he was in his parked vehicle in the between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday when a man came up to him and asked to charge his phone, according to a spokesperson for SPPD.

According to police, the victim didn’t remember much after that, but told officers he believed he was hit with a hard object and knocked unconscious. An SPPD spokesperson said the victim was found by a passerby, who then called 911 after seeing him passed out in the parking lot.

The victim said his Jeep was missing and further investigation showed the vehicle was taken after the assault.

Later in the day, just before midnight, SPPD officers on patrol saw the Jeep heading north on I-35E and initiated a stop on the vehicle. A pursuit began, and officers followed the Jeep into downtown and onto city streets before entering southbound Highway 52, officials say.

Officers continued to chase the Jeep south with the help of other agencies. The driver, who was the only person in the Jeep, eventually stopped at the off-ramp near 80th Street and Highway 52, as seen below on traffic management cameras.

Stephen Lamar Brown, 29, was booked into Ramsey County Jail for fleeing police in a motor vehicle, in addition to “numerous” other charges related to past offenses, officials say. Formal charges are pending.

The victim was treated at the hospital for a cut on his head.