West St. Paul police chase ends with fatal crash on I-494

A portion of eastbound I-494 is back open Monday after being closed for hours due to a fatal crash that happened following a police chase.

Authorities say the crash happened on eastbound I-494 at 5th Avenue around 4:30 a.m. after an eastbound Chevy Malibu rear ended a semi tractor trailer. Lt. Tim Sewald of the West St. Paul Police Department tells 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS the crash happened while officers were chasing a vehicle that didn’t stop for their department a few minutes earlier.

According to Lt. Sewald, an officer initiated a traffic stop on the Malibu within the city a few minutes prior to the crash, but the driver continued on, leading police on a chase that ended up on Highways 62 and 494. The driver of the Malibu died after crashing into the semi, according to Sewald, who says the department is still working to figure out what prompted the traffic stop.

The driver of the Malibu was identified early Tuesday evening by the Minnesota State Patrol as 39-year-old Elisa Rae Norton of Hastings.

Meanwhile, the driver of the semi was identified as a 39-year-old Holmen man. He was not injured.

Sewald says no officers with the West St. Paul police department were injured during the chase.

More information about the chase is expected to be announced within the coming days. The State Patrol is investigating the crash.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation said all eastbound lanes of the highway were temporarily closed at 7th Street as the investigation and cleanup continue. Traffic was sent off the interstate and was allowed to merge back on the highway at 5th Street.

Shortly before 7 a.m., delays were being reported at Highway 52. However, the highway was back open by 7:30 a.m.