Man taken into custody after fleeing deputies, driving over fuel pumps in Carver County

A man was taken into custody Wednesday after he fled deputies and ran over a row of fuel pumps with a semi.

The Carver County Sheriff's Office said it received a call reporting suspicious activity in the parking lot of a Cenex gas station on Highway 7 at about 7:16 a.m. The caller said a man was acting strangely and walking around with a hammer.

The sheriff's office said it also received reports that the man pulled a woman out of her truck the night before but she was gone when deputies arrived and the report hadn't yet been verified. The man also allegedly was waiving the hammer at passersby, threatening them.

Deputies arrived and, after a short discussion, the man fled in a semi-tractor. In the process, he drove over a row of diesel fuel pumps, causing significant damage to the pumps and the semi he was driving, the sheriff's office said.

The man continued to flee and eventually got stuck in the ditch to State Highway 7.

Trained negotiators and a mental health crisis therapist talked with the man at length before the man eventually surrendered and was taken into custody. He was then taken to a hospital for an evaluation.

The incident remains under investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Howard at 952-361-1212.