A Minneapolis man who apparently felt the need for speed rather than the need for safety has been charged with fleeing officers when he led a state trooper on a high-speed chase on July 15, which only ended when he turned into a dead-end alley in Tangletown.
McCary Nathaniel Mitchell Jr., 35, is charged with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony with a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
According to the criminal complaint, signed by Minnesota State Patrolman Dan Beasley, a state trooper was clocking the speed of vehicles near Interstate 35W and 46th Street just after 6:30 p.m. July 15 when he saw a speeding car pass another vehicle.
The driver, later identified as Mitchell, was clocked at 105 mph at the time, according to the complaint.
The trooper turned on his emergency lights and watched Mitchell cross three lanes of traffic at the last minute to exit from I-35W onto Diamond Lake Road, the complaint charges. Mitchell made a fast right turn at a red light without stopping and headed west on Diamond Lake, according to Beasley’s account.
With the trooper still in pursuit, Mitchell again made a fast right turn against a red light onto Nicollet Avenue, then another fast right turn into a parking lot on the southeast corner of Nicollet Avenue and 54th Street, the complaint says. Mitchell then turned into a dead-end alley, where he was forced to stop.
The trooper checked Mitchell’s driving record and learned that his license had been suspended. A subsequent search of Mitchell’s car turned up a bag containing 14.5 grams of marijuana, the complaint charges.
Mitchell is free on a $20,000 bond. An omnibus hearing in his case is scheduled Aug. 27 in Hennepin County District Court.
