An 18-year-old Iowa man has been charged in connection with an incident Thursday in Crystal that injured a police officer after a pursuit.
Shi Sho of Des Moines was charged Friday by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office with two felonies — assault with a second-degree weapon and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.
The officer who was run over was to be released from a hospital Friday, Crystal Police Chief Stephanie Revering said in an e-mail. The officer's name will be released next week, she said.
A Minnesota State Patrol trooper tried to pull Sho over on Interstate 694 at Hwy. 169, but Sho did not stop, leading to a pursuit, the charges say. Crystal police joined the pursuit once Sho entered their city, and officers were eventually able to box in his vehicle.
As law enforcement tried to arrest him, Sho began ramming cars with his vehicle, striking the Crystal police officer, the charges say.
A witness' video shows the suspect's vehicle stopped and surrounded by officers and police cars before the vehicle reversed and appeared to hit another car before pinning the officer to a vehicle. The suspect's vehicle then moved forward, knocking the officer to the ground and then running over the officer's legs.
Sho gave a fake name before admitting to fleeing police and to seeing an officer next to his car as he tried to get away, the charges say. He said he was unaware that he had struck the officer.
Sho's bail has been set at $150,000. He could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the two felonies.
Zoë Jackson covers young and new voters at the Star Tribune through the Report For America program, supported by the Minneapolis Foundation.
