On January 17, 2026, at approximately 11:47 PM, an officer with the Inver Grove Heights Police Department was on duty in the area of South St. W and 6th Ave. S. In Dakota County, Minnesota, when he observed a dark-colored Cadillac ATS sedan with no front license plate. The officer turned his squad vehicle around and attempted to position himself behind the Cadillac to conduct a traffic stop. The vehicle then pulled into a business’s parking lot. The back license plate on the Cadillac came back registered to “Natelia McKeala Mckenna.” The registered owner of the Cadillac, “Natelia Mckenna,” showed a revoked driver’s license status.
The officer was initially unable to see whether the person driving the Cadillac appeared to be the registered owner. The officer positioned his vehicle outside the parking lot of the business so that he could initiate a traffic stop when the Cadillac exited the business’s parking lot. The vehicle did not exit the business parking lot with the flow of traffic—as it approached the exit where it initially entered the parking lot, the vehicle continued through the parking lot again to another exit. The Cadillac then exited the rear parking lot at a high rate of speed.
The officer was able to catch up to the vehicle to initiate a traffic stop. The officer was able to catch up to the vehicle at 6th Avenue South. The vehicle was stopped, completely darkened with all its lights off. The officer identified himself as law enforcement and the reason for the stop. The registered owner of the vehicle was in the passenger seat and the driver was identified as AKKEEM DIQUAN LAZARIO SANTOS [DOB REDACTED]. When asked if he had a valid license, LAZARIO SANTOS told the officer he was in a driver’s diversion program and had a temporary license.
A check of LAZARIO SANTOS’ driving status showed his driving status to be canceled inimical to public safety. LAZARIO SANTOS had told the officer he had paperwork for the temporary license. When confronted with the information about the canceled inimical to public safety driving status, LAZARIO SANTOS told the officer he did not have any documents verifying or updating his driving status. LAZARIO SANTOS was informed he would be placed under arrest for driving with a status of canceled inimical to public safety.
LAZARIO SANTOS then rolled up the driver’s window, started the vehicle, and fled the scene in the Cadillac. 2 19HA-CR-26-112 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 1/22/2026 Officers initiated a pursuit, with active lights and sirens. The vehicle fled northbound on 6th Ave. S. To Spruce St. W., then westbound on Spruce St. W. To 7th Ave. S., and then northbound again on 7th Ave. S. The vehicle continued on 7th Ave. S. To Highway 494, where it entered Highway 494 Westbound and continued at approximately 80 miles per hour.
