Police chase ends in fatal crash on I-494 in South St. Paul
SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A police chase from West St. Paul to South St. Paul ended in a fatal crash between a vehicle and a semi truck early Monday morning.
What we know
A serious crash on Interstate 494 in South St. Paul closed a section of road on Monday morning, causing backups as drivers were being rerouted during their morning commute.
According to West St. Paul Police Lt. Tim Sewald, around 4:30 a.m., an officer made a traffic stop with a vehicle near the intersection of Robert Street and Marie Avenue. The driver then fled in the vehicle and a police chase ensued.
Lt. Sewald says that the chase eventually went eastbound on Highway 62 and then eastbound I-494.
Ultimately, "the vehicle that was being pursued made contact with the rear of a semi," Lt. Sewald said.
According to a crash report from the Minnesota State Patrol, the driver that fled was driving a Chevy Malibu and rear-ended a semi-tractor at a "high rate of speed."
The crash report states at least one person has been killed, but exact details have not yet been released. The 39-year-old driver of the semi-tractor was not injured in the collision. The driver of the Chevy Malibu was identified as a 39-year-old Hastings woman.
The road was closed as crews worked to clear debris from the roadway. Drivers heading eastbound were being rerouted to exit and reenter at 7th and 5th Avenues South. The roadway reopened around 7:30 a.m.
Minnesota State Patrol is investigating the crash, and West St. Paul police say it is an ongoing investigation and they "have limited information including the reason for the traffic stop."
What we don't know
The woman driving the Chevy Malibu has not been identified by authorities.
The timeline of the police chase is not clear.
It is not known why the traffic stop was made.
Fatal Highway 61 crash
Later Monday morning, a crash on southbound Highway 61 in Maplewood closed a stretch of roadway from County Road C to Highway 36 in Roseville.
According to the Minnesota State Patrol, around 5:45 a.m., troopers responded to a crash involving a pedestrian and a vehicle in the area of Highway 61 in Maplewood.
The State Patrol says they are investigating the crash as fatal.