2 charged after leading police on chase in stolen vehicle believed to be linked to robbery spree

Two 16-year-olds are now facing felony charges after they allegedly led police on a chase through north Minneapolis and crashed into a bus shelter.

Police say the Kia Sportage they were driving had been stolen from a church parking lot on Sunday and matched the description of a vehicle linked to several armed robberies over the weekend.

A juvenile petition states that around 1 p.m. Monday, police spotted the Sportage and another vehicle that matched with robbery reports and initiated a pursuit, weaving through the streets of north Minneapolis for about seven minutes. The chase came to an end when the Sportage hit a Chevy Silverado before crashing into a bus shelter near the intersection of North Penn and Plymouth avenues.

Three males inside the Sportage got out and ran. One of the passengers dropped a gun while fleeing and was chased down a short distance away. The 16-year-old suspect is now charged with possession of a firearm by a minor, tampering with a motor vehicle and fleeing a peace officer.

A police K-9 apprehended a second suspect, the 16-year-old who was driving the Sportage. He is charged with two separate counts of fleeing a peace officer and motor vehicle theft.

Police also took the third juvenile who ran from the Sportage into custody, but as of Thursday, no juvenile petition has been filed against him.