On April 16, 2026, at approximately 10:51 P.M., police officers were on routine patrol at Speedway located at 846 Johnson Parkway, St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota, where they observed a vehicle parked near the front doors. The vehicle was off, and the single male occupants was sitting in the front seat. Law enforcement observed the vehicle for a couple of minutes. The vehicle started to pull out of the parking spot, stopped, then pulled back in. The male got out and went into the store. Police exited the parking lot and parked nearby.
A few minutes later, the vehicle pulled out of the gas station, and law enforcement followed it. As police got behind the vehicle on Johnson Parkway, the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed. It took police a few blocks to catch up to the vehicle, and the vehicle was estimated to be traveling at 44 mph in a 25 mph zone. Police observed the vehicle’s side tires cross the center white line for several seconds. Law enforcement activated the squad’s emergency lights to stop the vehicle at Magnolia Avenue and Johnson Parkway.
The vehicle did not stop. The officer activated the squad’s emergency sirens, yet the vehicle continued driving. After a few blocks, police determined that the vehicle was fleeing from law enforcement, and the pursuit was discontinued. The officer deactivated the squad’s lights and siren and followed the vehicle from a safe distance. The vehicle came to a stop in a parking lot just south of Barclay Street. The officer reactivated the squad’s emergency lights to effectuate a stop. The driver put his hands out the window and exited the vehicle as directed.
The driver was taken into custody and identified as ALEX ROBERT GALVAN – [DOB redacted]. GALVAN’s driving status was revoked. On the driver’s seat, police observed a clear substance that appeared to be methamphetamine. The officer saw additional similar rocks on the seat and floorboard. Under the driver’s seat cover, police located a clear bag containing a large amount of suspected methamphetamine. Following a Miranda advisory, GALVAN said that he observed the squad car in the Speedway parking lot, which make him feel “spooked” and “scared” because he did not have a valid license.
GALVAN stated that he went inside the store to buy something to avoid law enforcement. GALVAN admitted that he saw police behind him as he drove away from the gas station and that he saw the squad’s emergency lights and heard the emergency sirens. GALVAN said that he just wanted to get home to his apartment complex. When police left the Ramsey County Jail after turning GALVAN over to booking staff, they observed a small baggie containing suspected methamphetamine in the back of the squad car. A review of the squad video showed GALVAN get into the squad car with his right pocket turned inside out with a small baggie sticking out of it.
