Mankato police crash into vehicle during pursuit, find woman passenger stabbed

MANKATO, Minn. (FOX 9) - A pursuit involving Mankato police that led to a vehicle crash and the discovery of a woman passenger who had been stabbed has the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigating the incident.

According to a BCA news release, at around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Mankato police received a report of a man driving erratically in west Mankato. Officers responded and pursued the vehicle, but initially ended the pursuit before restarting it due to continued erratic driving and the threat to public safety.

The driver eventually entered a dead-end road, according to the BCA, and an officer used his squad car to hit the fleeing vehicle to stop the driver. The suspect was treated for minor injuries, and hospitalized.

Police then discovered a female passenger in the vehicle who had been stabbed several times, suffering life-threatening injuries. She remains in critical condition.

A knife was located at the scene where the vehicle crashed, according to the BCA release.

The BCA and Mankato Police Department are investigating the crash and stabbing, with video from both officer-worn bodycam and squad dash being part of the investigation.