In a shocking incident during Monday morning’s rush hour, a man was caught on camera engaging in a physical altercation with a state trooper on Interstate 94 near the Lowry Hill Tunnel in Minneapolis. The man’s audacious escape involved evading the trooper, sprinting across all six lanes of traffic, and ultimately flagging down an unsuspecting SUV driver before disappearing into the tunnel.
According to State Patrol Lt. Gordon Shank, the trooper had been providing assistance to a stranded motorist and vehicle on the side of the road when the situation took a sudden turn. The individual involved with the vehicle abruptly fled on foot, eventually finding refuge in a different vehicle on the opposite side of the highway.
Startling footage captured by a Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic camera revealed the chaotic sequence of events. The video showcased the man briefly occupying the back seat of the trooper’s squad car before exiting the vehicle and engaging in a struggle with the trooper. This skirmish occurred just as a tow truck arrived to load the stranded car.
Managing to break free from the trooper’s grasp, the man embarked on a daring escape. He sprinted alongside the busy highway before astoundingly flagging down an SUV driver. The man swiftly entered the vehicle through the window of the front passenger-side door, and within seconds, the SUV disappeared into the tunnel, leaving investigators and law enforcement bewildered.
Details regarding the motive behind the scuffle and subsequent escape remain unclear. As of Tuesday morning, the fleeing motorist had not been apprehended, and authorities are diligently working to ascertain his identity. It is yet to be determined whether there was any prior connection between the man and the SUV driver.
Thankfully, the trooper involved in the altercation emerged unharmed from the incident, as noted by Lt. Shank. However, the circumstances surrounding the initial interaction between the trooper and the fleeing motorist, as well as the events that transpired afterward, continue to baffle investigators.
MINNEAPOLIS: About 6:15 a.m., a State Trooper attempted to detain the driver of a stalled vehicle on eastbound I-94 just outside the Lowry Tunnel. The suspect was fighting with the Trooper and then fled on foot across the freeway to the westbound lanes, where he got in the… pic.twitter.com/0MGhHrwmTh
— MN CRIME | Police/Fire/EMS (@MN_CRIME) June 5, 2023
