Man arrested after overnight crash that damaged 2 Ramsey Co. squads

A man is in custody after an overnight crash in St. Paul that left two Ramsey County vehicles damaged.

A KSTP-TV photographer was at the scene — on Juliet Avenue at Lexington Parkway South, near Interstate 35E — at around 2 a.m. Friday.

The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office says it was helping St. Paul police with a vehicle that was fleeing from officers for the second time overnight.

St. Paul police say officers first encountered the vehicle at around 10:52 p.m. near Thomas Avenue and Marion Street. Officers believed the driver was under the influence and tried to stop him but he fled and officers didn’t pursue.

Then, shortly before 1 a.m., officers responded to the area of Washington Street and Kellogg Boulevard and found the same vehicle. This time, when the vehicle fled, officers requested help from the sheriff’s office.

According to the sheriff’s office, the fleeing vehicle — a Cadillac Escalade — had three flat tires after Stop Sticks were successfully deployed. However, the driver kept trying to flee, escaping multiple pursuit intervention techniques (PIT).

Eventually, authorities forced the Cadillac into a snowbank and ordered the driver to get out but he refused. The sheriff’s office says the 60-year-old St. Paul man was arrested after chemical agents were deployed.

Two sheriff’s office vehicles were damaged in the incident but, fortunately, nobody was injured.

St. Paul police are leading the investigation.