Charges: Suspect drew police gunfire after pointing BB gun out window during pursuit
Courtesy of Carver County Jail
A woman is facing criminal charges after she led police on a car chase in Carver County on Tuesday and pointed a BB gun out her window, prompting an officer to shoot at her.
Amanda Lindsey Nelson, 33, of Bloomington, has been charged with two counts of second-degree assault and one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
According to a criminal complaint, a South Lake Minnetonka police officer ran a license plate on a vehicle Tuesday evening in Excelsior and found that the registered owner, Nelson, had an active warrant out of Illinois for aggravated assault against a peace officer, resisting an officer, aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and domestic battery causing bodily harm. The officer tried to pull her over, but Nelson kept driving, leading to a pursuit.
After two PIT maneuvers, Nelson’s vehicle spun out and she drove down the embankment into the parking lot of a business on Highway 41 in Excelsior. Officers found the vehicle in the parking lot and performed another PIT maneuver.
According to court documents, as the car was spinning, Nelson pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officer through the window.
Another officer performed another PIT maneuver on the vehicle, causing Nelson’s vehicle to spin and face him. As the officer tried to get out of his car to arrest Nelson, she began driving towards him.
As he got back into his squad, he saw Nelson point a gun at him. The officer fired five shots at her through the squad.
Nelson again drove away.
An officer performed another PIT maneuver on Nelson’s vehicle on Highway 41 south of 82nd Street in Chanhassen, causing the vehicle to roll over.
A nearly four-and-a-half-hour standoff ensued before Nelson was arrested.
When she was arrested, officers found a knife in Nelson’s pocket, and a BB gun was found near the driver’s side window. The BB gun was an accurate replica of the M&P firearm by Smith and Wesson, the complaint said. It was also loaded when found.