Officials said a 19-year-old driver ran a stop sign before striking the trooper’s squad car at high speed.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — A stolen Hyundai crashed into a Minnesota State Patrol squad car Friday night in south Minneapolis, sending the patrol vehicle into a house and leaving the trooper and people in the stolen car with significant injuries, officials said.
The crash brought a large emergency response to West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South and turned a quiet residential corner into a crime scene. Authorities said the case began in St. Paul, moved into Minneapolis and ended when the Hyundai ran a stop sign and struck the squad car. The 19-year-old driver was arrested and was being held in the Ramsey County Jail while officials reviewed possible charges.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said the incident started around 10:30 p.m. Friday in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood, where a deputy spotted a stolen Hyundai sedan and tried to stop it. The driver fled, and the deputy briefly followed before ending the pursuit after losing sight of the car. Officials said the Hyundai crossed the Ford Parkway Bridge into Minneapolis. A short time later, the car was seen driving recklessly with its lights off in south Minneapolis. Authorities said the driver ran a stop sign near West 46th Street and Aldrich Avenue South and crashed into the side of a State Patrol squad car at about 80 mph.
The impact pushed the squad car off the street and into a home, leaving debris across the yard and major damage to the front of the house. Firefighters worked to remove the trooper from the patrol vehicle, and the trooper was taken to a hospital with significant injuries, officials said. The two passengers in the stolen Hyundai also suffered significant injuries. The driver ran from the scene after the crash but was quickly taken into custody, according to authorities. Officials did not immediately release the names of the trooper, the driver or the passengers. Their conditions were not fully detailed Saturday.
Tom Abresch, who lives in the house, said he was inside and had just lain down when the squad car slammed into the home. “All sudden, it went boom. My ears just popped,” Abresch said. He said the force made him think the home was under attack. The front of the squad car came to rest under part of the house. Abresch said the damage appeared heavy enough that part of the porch and home may need to be torn down and rebuilt. No serious injury to anyone inside the house had been reported.
Investigators said the same stolen vehicle had been involved in a police pursuit Thursday night in the west metro. In that incident, the vehicle reportedly swerved at emergency vehicles but did not hit them. Officials did not say whether the 19-year-old arrested after Friday’s crash was also driving during the earlier pursuit. Authorities also said the 19-year-old has two prior arrests for fleeing police. The crash drew assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, Minneapolis Police Department and Minneapolis Fire Department.
The crash happened when the Hyundai was not being actively pursued on the ground, officials said. A State Patrol helicopter tracked the car from above after the earlier attempted stop, and witnesses in the neighborhood reported hearing and seeing the aircraft over the area. Investigators said they were reviewing the moments between the attempted traffic stop in St. Paul and the crash in Minneapolis, including the route the Hyundai took, its speed and the actions of the driver before impact.
The driver remained in custody Saturday as officials prepared the case for charging review. Authorities had not announced formal charges by Saturday night. The investigation was expected to include crash reconstruction, police reports from the earlier pursuit, statements from witnesses and medical updates on the injured trooper and the people inside the stolen car. The State Patrol vehicle and the Hyundai were heavily damaged, and the struck home also faced a structural review after the squad car came to rest against it.
By Saturday night, officials had confirmed the arrest, the injuries and the basic timeline from St. Paul to Minneapolis. The next major step is a charging decision for the 19-year-old driver after investigators submit reports tied to the stolen vehicle, the crash and the injuries.
Author note: Last updated May 2, 2026.