Police Activity Near the State Capitol Causes Lockdown Wednesday Night

(KNSI) — Business will return to normal at the Minnesota State Capitol after a police chase that ended nearby caused the building to go into lockdown.

St. Paul police say about 7:20 Wednesday night; an officer saw a vehicle being driven erratically and discovered the car was stolen. When they tried to stop the vehicle, they said the driver fled. An aerial support unit from the Minnesota State Patrol tracked the car as it allegedly joined up with another vehicle, which had reportedly been stolen out of Edina. Police used stop sticks to disable the car, which crashed, but the passengers bailed and got into the other stolen car and fled the scene again. As that car made its way back into St. Paul, it hit a marked police car with an officer inside. That officer was not hurt.

The car continued until it crashed into a State of Minnesota parking lot at the governor’s office. All four people inside fled on foot, with one allegedly running into a nearby building.

There was a session going on in the House chamber at the time. The session went into recess as Capitol security placed the complex in lockdown. House members sheltered in place in the Chamber.

All four people in the car were found. Police say the driver was 15, and the passengers were between 12 and 15.

No lawmakers were hurt during the ordeal, which police say lasted just a short time.

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