Stolen USPS Mail Truck Chase Ends With Arrest in Saint Paul
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Minneapolis man is charged after prosecutors say he stole a U.S. Postal Service mail truck in Saint Paul and rammed a police squad.
Authorities say the suspect then led officers on a dangerous chase before crashing and being taken into custody Monday afternoon.
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Giovanni Lisandro Suarez, 26, is charged with felony theft of a motor vehicle and felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle in connection with the incident, which unfolded on Jan. 12.
According to the criminal complaint, Saint Paul police were alerted just after 2 p.m. by a U.S. Postal Inspector who reported that a stolen USPS mail truck was being tracked by GPS near Snelling Avenue North and University Avenue West. At the same time, multiple callers reported seeing a mail truck driving recklessly through the area.
Officers soon spotted the stolen postal vehicle being driven at a high rate of speed north on Simpson Street. As police followed, they attempted to box in the vehicle near Thomas Avenue & Snelling Avenue North. Before officers could complete the maneuver, the driver accelerated southbound on Snelling Avenue North, continuing toward University Avenue West.
At University Avenue West & Prior Avenue North, the mail truck stopped at a red light. Police activated emergency lights and tried to box the vehicle in again. Prosecutors say Suarez then put the mail truck into reverse and aggressively rammed the squad car behind him, causing it to jolt backward. He drove out of the containment and fled as officers activated their sirens and initiated a pursuit.
During the pursuit, Suarez nearly collided with another vehicle near Prior Avenue North, swerved aggressively around traffic and crashed into a light pole with enough force to rip it from the ground and send it into the air, according to the complaint. Despite the crash, he continued fleeing at high speed, driving through a stop sign and eventually sliding off the road on Wheeler Street North.
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After the vehicle came to a stop, Suarez got out and ignored commands from officers, instead approaching one officer in what police described as a very aggressive manner. Officers took him to the ground and detained him. During the arrest, Suarez told officers he was under the influence of methamphetamine, fentanyl and “blue” pills and said he was “glad that God was driving our cars,” the complaint states.
Investigators later learned that the stolen mail truck had also struck and damaged a parked 2015 Ford F-150 near Aldine Street & Sherburne Avenue.
While speaking with officers, Suarez told police he had gotten off a bus, saw the postal vehicle and decided to get inside and drive away. He said he did not stop for police because he was scared. When asked about ramming the squad car during the containment attempt, Suarez admitted he saw the squad in front of him, reversed, collided with something behind him and “smashed out” before driving off.
Court records show Suarez has an open felony theft case in Ramsey County and a prior felony auto theft conviction in Hennepin County. Suarez made an initial court appearance on Wednesday where a judge set bail at $15,000.
If convicted, Suarez faces up to 10 years in prison for the vehicle theft charge and up to three years in prison for fleeing a peace officer.
