A Maplewood man drove away from a police officer at high speed, swerving over lane lines and into the wrong lane before stop sticks disabled the Tesla, according to the complaint.
Mekhi Robert Bryant, 21, is charged in Ramsey County District Court with one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. Bail was set at $30,000.
According to the complaint, a Maplewood officer tried to stop a blue Tesla clocked at 57 mph in a 40 mph zone near White Bear Avenue and Highway 36 at about 11:19 p.m. Oct. 29. The Tesla was also wanted in connection with an armed robbery in Woodbury. The complaint does not charge Bryant in that robbery. The driver did not stop when the officer turned on his lights and siren.
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The driver made evasive turns, swerved over lane lines and drove in the wrong lane before turning into a dead end on eastbound Flanders Road, the complaint says. The officer blocked the exit with his squad car and got out, yelling commands to stop. The driver turned around and drove past the squad. Stop sticks disabled the Tesla at Roselawn and McMenemy.
Officers saw Bryant get out of the driver’s seat, according to the complaint. In an interview with police, he denied seeing the squad car’s lights and siren, denied driving and said he did not know who was driving.
The complaint says he has a prior felony conviction.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; Ramsey County Community Corrections operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
