BCA investigating 2 ‘use-of-force incidents’ in Pine County Tuesday

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating two separate “use-of-force incidents” in Pine County. The two incidents occurred within a few hours of each other on Tuesday.

In the first incident, Pine County deputies shot and injured a suspect during an attempted arrest Tuesday afternoon in Pine City, according to the BCA.

The BCA says deputies were trying to arrest a man with an outstanding felony warrant just before 2 p.m., and “at one point,” the deputies shot him, leaving him critically injured.

The suspect is being treated at a nearby hospital.

Officials did not say what prompted the deputies to shoot, nor was it clear how many officers were involved.

The BCA is handling the investigation and will review the deputies’ body camera footage. More information is expected later.

The second use-of-force occurred around 4 p.m. on Interstate 35, a few miles south of Sandstone.

According to the BCA, state troopers were pursuing a vehicle for speeding, when it left the road and drove into the ditch. Troopers had deployed stop sticks, but it is unclear if they were the reason the vehicle left the road.

Pine County deputies got to the scene shortly after.

The driver didn’t exit the vehicle or respond to commands, and a deputy fired less-lethal rounds and broke the car windows. The driver didn’t respond to a K9, either.

When deputies approached the vehicle, they saw the driver deceased inside with a gunshot wound to the head. A handgun was recovered from inside the vehicle, the BCA said. No troopers or deputies fired their guns, according to the BCA.

Troopers and deputies were wearing their body cameras and the BCA said it will release more information later in the investigation.