On November 23, 2025, at 5:30 A.M., Officer Johnson with the Forest Lake Police Department was on routine patrol when he was notified via dispatch of a white Dodge Ram 1500 bearing Minnesota license plate [PLATE REDACTED] that fled from the White Bear Lake Police Department and was last seen heading northbound on Highway 61 towards Forest Lake. Officer Johnson stationed his squad vehicle at the intersection of Manning Trail North and Scandia Trail North in Washington County and a short time later observed a newer looking pickup truck travelling northbound on Manning at a high rate of speed.
Officer Johnson activated his radar and determined the vehicle was driving 75 miles per hour in a 55 mile per hour zone. As the vehicle approached, Officer Johnson visually observed that it matched the description of the vehicle that fled from the White Bear Lake Police Department, for which there was an active KOPS alert. The vehicle ran the stop sign at Scandia Trail North and continued on Manning. Officer Johnson immediately activated his lights and siren to initiate a stop, however the vehicle continued fleeing.
A pursuit involving speeds of 90 – 110 miles per hour ensued, with the suspect vehicle failing to stop at stop signs and driving the wrong way through roundabouts. The vehicle struck stop sticks near the Interstate 35 entrance ramp, lost control, and drove off the roadway through a fence and swamp, coming to rest on a dirt road near 235th Street North and Falcon Avenue North in Forest Lake. From there, the suspect exited the vehicle and fled on foot. Officers searched the abandoned vehicle and found a pellet gun, knife, and crossbow.
Camera footage showed that the suspect appeared to be a white male wearing dark clothing. Officers set up a perimeter and searched the area for the suspect, at which point dispatch advised that C. S. Called 911 to report that a white male in all black clothing was attempting to steal his vehicle, a 2015 Ford Focus bearing Minnesota license plate [PLATE REDACTED]. C. S. Stated that the suspect attempted to leave his property with his vehicle, however found the driveway gate closed. The suspect then drove C. S.' vehicle to the west end of the property and into some trees before exiting the vehicle and fleeing on foot again.
Officers tracked the suspect to a residence located at [ADDRESS REDACTED] North, where the homeowner, L. C., advised that his vehicle's door had been opened. The suspect, identified as NATHANIAL MICHAEL EUGENE CLARK, [DOB REDACTED], was ultimately located on L. C.'s property, hiding in the backseat of another vehicle that had been covered with a tarp. CLARK was arrested and transported to the Washington County Jail, where he provided a statement in which he admitted he was the person who fled from the White Bear Lake Police Department and other agencies.
