An inmate who hijacked a transport van full of prisoners outside the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Lino Lakes on Friday was arrested several hours later near Interstate 35W in Minneapolis, police said.
Just before 11 a.m., a prisoner took control of the vehicle, which was taking nine people from St. Cloud prison to other facilities around the state, including Lino Lakes. Police arrested five of them in the Mounds View area, and located three more later with the van in north Minneapolis, said state Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sarah Fitzgerald.
The last remaining inmate at large, James Douglas Mitchell, 26, who is serving prison time for felony assault, was arrested at 4:25 p.m. at the I-35W and 8th Street SE. bridge near the University of Minnesota, Fitzgerald said. He had fled to the freeway after being spotted at a nearby park, police said.
It appears Mitchell abandoned the van on foot and the three remaining stayed and waited for police to arrive, said Minneapolis police spokesman Corey Schmidt. State patrol helicopters and K-9 units assisted in searching the north Minneapolis area.
A 911 caller informed Minneapolis police of Mitchell's whereabouts, and police located and arrested him.
The other eight inmates were identified as Kevin Ladell Mitchell, 31; Mitchell Dale Saltzman, 36; Dylan Cantrell Bathke, 21; Paul Jerome Thunder, 39; Anthony Dwayne Alexander, 51; Edward Washington, 35; Vance Eric Jourdain, 26, and Shawn Lee Jackson, 28.
Staff writer Karen Zamora contributed to this report. Andy Mannix • 612-673-4036
