Man alleged to have fired at trooper

Published 9:35 am Thursday, December 3, 2009

HOPE — Authorities apprehended a 31-year-old man from Moline, Ill., after he allegedly fired on a Minnesota state trooper Wednesday morning on Interstate 35 during a routine traffic stop.

According to a Steele County Sheriff’s Office news release, at about 10:36 a.m. a trooper called for assistance in apprehending a fleeing suspect just north of the Hope interchange.

The trooper stated there were shots fired, the release stated.

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Officers from the Minnesota State Patrol, the Steele County Sheriff’s Office, the Owatonna Police Department and the Blooming Prairie Police Department assisted in the search and arrest.

The man was stopped by a trooper for a violation of impaired vision.

The trooper approached the auto on the passenger side, at which time the man left the car, ran south on I-35 and then crossed the west ditch before going through a wooded wind barrier, according to the release.

The trooper fired multiple times, and the suspect then ran west in a plowed field.

Authorities set up a perimeter. He was apprehended in the plowed field just south of the initial location and taken to the Steele County Detention Center without incident.

The Steele County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident with assistance from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. More information was expected to be released this morning. Look to AlbertLeaTribune.com for updates.

Albert Lea motorists driving down Interstate 35 let the Albert Lea Tribune know that lanes were blocked off north of the Hope exit.