Charges: Man shot at officers during pursuit from St. Paul to White Bear Lake

A Minneapolis man has been charged after he allegedly shot at officers while leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit.

Pablo Nava Jaimes, 30, is charged with three counts of first-degree assault and two counts of drive-by shooting in connection to the incident.

It started at around 8:20 p.m. Sunday when a trooper tried to stop an Oldsmobile Cutlass that was speeding and driving on the shoulder of Interstate 35E near Arlington Avenue in St. Paul, according to a criminal complaint. Instead of stopping, the Cutlass fled, driving nearly 100 mph.

When the pursuit neared County Road E in Vadnais Heights, the driver of the Cutlass fired a gunshot, which missed the trooper and his squad, the complaint states. The car then left the interstate and drove east onto Highway 96, where White Bear Lake police took over leading the pursuit with the help of the Minnesota State Patrol helicopter.

When the Cutlass got onto Birch Lake Boulevard, it slowed and the driver fired several gunshots at the officers. The complaint states nine casings were later recovered in the area.

Eventually, the car stopped near a business on Birch Lake Boulevard and two people inside ran away. The state patrol helicopter was able to direct officers to the suspects, who were arrested. The driver was identified as Jaimes, who was taken to a hospital for treatment after a canine apprehended him by the arm, and his pregnant wife, the complaint states.

In an interview with investigators, Jaimes initially claimed an armed man in the back seat of the car made him flee. However, he later admitted he’d been drinking at a barbecue and was on the way to a buffet in Maplewood.

According to the complaint, Jaimes said he didn’t know why he shot at the officers but apologized and said he was frustrated that officers hadn’t done anything when his property was vandalized.

Officers also recovered the gun Jaimes threw while running away and learned he had a suspended driver’s license due to a past traffic stop that allegedly revealed open beer bottles, meth and a handgun in his vehicle.

None of the officers were injured.

Jaimes made his first court appearance Wednesday morning and had his bail lowered from the preliminary amount of $5 million to $100,000. His next hearing is set for July 6.