Man With Canceled License Nabbed After Multi-County Pursuit

Nov 1

A Burnsville man with a canceled driver’s license is facing several charges after leading police on a late-night pursuit through two counties before being arrested early Thursday morning.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Goodhue County, the incident began around 11:30 p.m. Oct. 29 when a Kenyon police officer saw a driver with Missouri plates make an improper right turn near 2nd Street and Red Wing Avenue in Kenyon.

The officer followed the car and tried to stop it near North Street, but the driver refused to pull over.

The suspect continued north on Red Wing Avenue, turned onto Mogren Hill, made a U-turn and then headed south on Red Wing Avenue toward Highway 56. Around 11:38 p.m., the officer reported that the driver still wasn’t stopping and was now fleeing southbound on Highway 56 at speeds around 62 miles per hour. During the chase, the driver twice swerved over the fog line and appeared to be drinking from a container.

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As the pursuit entered West Concord, speeds dropped to about 50 miles per hour. Dodge County deputies ahead of the chase deployed stop sticks near 575th Street, puncturing the vehicle’s tires and forcing it to a stop. Deputies positioned themselves for a high-risk stop and ordered the driver out, but he refused and was seen reaching for something inside the vehicle. Deputies fired several pepper-ball rounds into the car, and the man eventually got out, laid down on the ground and was taken into custody around 11:54 p.m.

The driver, later identified as 32-year-old Davin Levon McCray, was placed in the back of a squad car, where he managed to slip his handcuffs to the front of his body. Officers noted he smelled strongly of alcohol and had glossy eyes, but he refused to answer questions about his identity or take a preliminary breath test.

McCray was transported to the Kenyon Police Department and then to the Zumbrota Police Department for a formal breath test, but he again refused to identify himself, preventing officers from completing the test. He was taken to the Goodhue County Adult Detention Center, where deputies later identified him by fingerprints.

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Court records show McCray’s driver’s license had been canceled as inimical to public safety. He now faces one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and one gross misdemeanor count of driving after cancellation. If convicted, he faces up to three years and one day in prison and a $5,000 fine on the felony charge, and up to 364 days in jail and a $3,000 fine on the driving offense.

McCray also has a history of violent and reckless behavior. In Dec. 2019, Saint Paul police say McCray was kicked out of the Trend Bar on University Avenue and later fired multiple gunshots into the front door of the bar. The rounds struck liquor bottles and walls near staff and customers but didn’t hit anyone. When police tried to stop him, he fled in a vehicle and crashed into another car before being arrested. Investigators later learned he was legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

He was charged in Ramsey County with multiple felonies including assault and fleeing police. Prosecutors at the time described his actions as posing a serious risk to public safety, noting that the shooting happened in a crowded area just before bar close.

Authorities have not yet released any new statements on whether McCray’s prior cases will factor into his latest charges.

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