Man arrested after Christmas morning break-in at Tousley Motorsports
A motorsports dealership was damaged on Christmas morning when a man rode a stolen UTV through multiple garage doors and gates and hit other vehicles before being arrested.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to Tousley Motorsports, located in the 1400 block of County Road E East, after an alarm sounded just after 6:20 a.m. Monday.
Within minutes, deputies arrived and found broken glass, heavily damaged doors, several damaged vehicles and other damage to the building.
The dealership’s surveillance cameras captured intense moments, including the suspect driving a side-by-side vehicle in the store, knocking over displays, running over motorcycles and eventually crashing through a garage door, almost hitting a deputy.
Law enforcement officials found 30-year-old Austin Erickson from Little Canada riding south on International Drive near the dealership. He was arrested, after reportedly trying to run away, for receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, criminal damage to property and fleeing.
“It looked like something from the movies,” Jon Osowski, a sales consultant for Tousley Motorsports, said.
Osowski says an alarm was set off when Erickson broke into the store, alerting management, who quickly got deputies on the case.
Now facing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage, Osowski says the Tousley team is relieved no one was seriously hurt.
“It’s been disruptive, but like I said, no one got hurt and that’s really the priority. So, we’re grateful,” Osowki said.