On December 8, 2025, at approximately 1:30 A.M., an officer with the saw a motor vehicle near the 5700 block of Bishop Avenue, Inver Grove Heights, Dakota County, Minnesota. The officer saw that the vehicle’s registration was expired. The officer ran the vehicle’s information and learned that the registered owner was ERNEST KEVIN BROWN [DOB REDACTED]. The officer watched the vehicle exit a gas station parking lot. When it did, the vehicle did not have any lights activated. The officer followed the vehicle.
Shortly thereafter, the officer activated the emergency lights on his squad vehicle to execute a traffic stop as the vehicle entered the ramp to travel north on Highway 52. The vehicle did not stop. The officer then activated the emergency siren on his squad vehicle. The vehicle did not stop. Instead, the vehicle increased its speed. The officer pursued the fleeing vehicle. The officer learned that an officer with the city of South Saint Paul would attempt to deploy stop sticks on Highway 52, near Butler Avenue.
The officer continued to pursue the vehicle north on Highway 52. The vehicle drove on Highway 52 pass Interstate 494 and pass Mendota Road. The vehicle exited the highway and traveled on city streets before entering back onto Highway 52. The officer believed the vehicle was traveling at approximately 100 miles per hour at points during the pursuit. The officer from the South Saint Paul Police Department successfully deployed stop sticks. The vehicle stopped on the shoulder of Highway 52 shortly thereafter.
Officers took the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle into custody, who was identified as BROWN. During a search of the vehicle, officers located, among other things, a container in the center console. The container held torch lighters and smoking devices. Officers also located a baggie near the driver’s seat. The baggie contained a substance. The substance later field tested positive for the 2 19HA-CR-25-2104 Filed in District Court State of Minnesota 12/9/2025 presence of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance, and weighed approximately 13 grams.
The total distance of the pursuit was approximately 5 miles.
