Aitkin stabbing suspect arrested 130 miles away in metro area

The suspect in an Aitkin stabbing that seriously injured a woman in her 40s was arrested almost 130 miles away in White Bear Township on Thursday.

Just before 11 a.m., law enforcement from Aitkin and Aitkin County responded to a stabbing at a house in the northwest part of Aitkin.

The suspect, 33-year-old Matthew Dean Liimatainen, drove away from the scene in a stolen 2022 Ford F-150, according to Aitkin law enforcement.

As police worked to find the vehicle, officials with the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department located the car in White Bear Township right before 3 p.m.

A short time later, Liimatainen was taken into custody to be booked into Aitkin County Jail.

The 41-year-old woman critically injured in the stabbing was airlifted by North Memorial to Hennepin County Medical Center.

She has life-threatening injuries, according to the Aitkin Police Department.