On June 21, 2025, at approximately 11:36 P.M., officers of the Austin Police Department were dispatched to a hit and run collision near 510 5th Avenue NW in the City of Austin, County of Mower. Officers were advised that the suspect, DIETRICH JOE CLARK ROBINSON, DOB/032503, the defendant herein, was being pinned down on the street by Victim A (an adult male). Officer Sovers arrived on scene and located Victim A and the defendant at the intersection of 6th Street NW and 5th Avenue NW. Victim A was pinning the defendant on the street.
Sovers told Victim A to let the defendant go and instructed the defendant to sit on the curb. Officer Sovers observed the defendant to be extremely sweaty, jittery and was going in and out of consciousness while speaking with the officer. Sovers then told the defendant to lay down on his back as he appeared as if he was going to pass out. An ambulance was called to assist. The defendant confirmed he had used methamphetamine within the last hour and told the ambulance crew he had used fentanyl as well.
The defendant stated that he also swallowed fentanyl after the crash and prior to law enforcement arrival. The defendant was transported to Mayo Clinic. Officer Hoefs arrived and observed the suspect vehicle, a Chevrolet Cobalt (MN license BLJ130) was facing southbound in the northbound lane of 5th Street NW. The front left tire was pressed against the left rear tire of a Chevrolet Tahoe (MN license 29JER11) that was legally parked facing northbound. Hoefs observed scrapes on the driver’s side front side fender on the Cobalt and scrapes on the rear driver’s side door on the Tahoe.
Hoefs noted the Cobalt was still running, so he shut the vehicle off. Officer Hoefs then made contact with Witness 1 (an adult female). Witness 1 told Hoefs that she and Victim A were hanging out on their front porch when she heard a loud crash and told Victim A that she thinks someone just hit his car. Victim A then got up to check. Witness 1 said that by the time she got around the corner, Victim A was chasing someone westbound down the street. Witness 1 said she saw that a car had run into Victim A's Tahoe.
Witness 1 said Victim A caught the suspect down the road. Officer Hoefs then made contact with Victim A. Victim A stated that he and Witness 1 were on the porch when they heard a crash. Victim A stated he went to check on it and found a car that had struck his parked Tahoe. Victim A said the driver (the defendant) was trying to drive away, but the car was disable. Victim A said the defendant then got out and ran away. Victim A chased the defendant down and caught him about a block to the west. Victim A said he tackled the suspect and then held him down by sitting on his waist and holding his arms.
Victim A said the suspect told him he had multiple felony warrants and that is why he ran. Victim A said he held the defendant down until officers arrived. Officer Hoefs searched the defendant’s vehicle and did not find any proof of insurance. Hoefs located a small sandwich bag in the driver’s door pocket near the door handle. The bag contained a small amount of white crystal-like substance (later field tested positive for methamphetamine and weighed 3.6 grams). At the hospital, Officer Sovers applied for and was granted a search warrant for a sample of the defendant’s blood or urine.
