DULUTH, Minn. -- A police pursuit through western Duluth early Tuesday ended in gunfire outside a home before the suspect, a 43-year-old Duluth man, was taken into custody, authorities said.
No one was injured when a Minnesota state trooper fired shots at the suspect’s pickup truck after the driver struck two squad cars while attempting to flee, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported.
Mitchell Holmes said his family was awoken by the commotion outside his home on Becks Road.
“We heard a bunch of sirens, and the cops chased a guy into our yard. Then, he was smashing his truck into their squads and they were smashing him back,” he said.
“He made it all the way around the garage and drove up onto the grill and push guard of a state trooper who stopped him. Then they started shooting,” said Holmes, who recalled hearing multiple shots, perhaps four to six in all.
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The suspect, Jared Steven Haske, was not hit by the gunfire, but was subdued by a Taser and taken into custody.
Haske was booked at the St Louis County Jail on suspicion of driving while under the influence of drugs, assault and fleeing a law enforcement officer.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting incident, and the trooper involved has been placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard policy in such a case.
Sgt. Neil Dickenson, a public information officer for the Minnesota State Patrol, said Tuesday that the name of the trooper involved in the shooting was not yet available for release.
The BCA reported that the pursuit began about midnight when Duluth police tried to pull over a vehicle for speeding, but the driver refused to stop.
A State Patrol trooper joined the pursuit on Minnesota Highway 23 / Grand Avenue near Morgan Park.
The chase ended outside Holmes’ home on Becks Road.
The BCA reported that “based on the preliminary investigation, the suspect struck at least two squads while attempting to flee the area. At that time, shots were fired at the vehicle by a trooper.”
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As events unfolded outside his home, Holmes said he took no chances and ordered his family, including his 14-year-old daughter and 15-year-old son, into body armor he had purchased about a year ago.
“We’re prepared people. We’re prepared for anything,” he said. “When something like that happens, we know what to do. You just stay low and get some body armor on.”
Holmes said he doesn’t take anything for granted when it comes to the safety of his family.
“It’s just a crazy world, and there are a lot of crazy people out there,” he said. “We live in a world where little old ladies get murdered at Super One. You can’t count anything out any more.”
Holmes said he didn’t recognize the pickup. He noted that its windows were either smashed or shot out.
The suspect’s vehicle took out the fuel line to a propane tank, forcing Holmes to make an early morning repair. The truck also tore out electrical service to Holmes’ septic system, which Holmes said he hoped to fix later Tuesday.
A check of Minnesota and Wisconsin court records indicates that Haske has numerous convictions for driving-related offenses. He was convicted of hit and run in St. Louis County in 2005, and has at least six convictions for driving without a valid license in the two states.
Haske has a 2004 felony conviction in Douglas County for manufacturing or delivering amphetamines, and also has convictions for theft and offering forged checks.
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