Two suspects who fled a crash scene in Bloomington early Friday and set off a search that included officers surrounding a Goodwill store have been arrested and roads in the area reopened.
Events unfolded about 5 a.m. when the suspects, driving a vehicle reported stolen, crashed into a light pole in a parking lot near American Boulevard and S. Lyndale Avenue. They left the scene on foot. Officers found the unattended vehicle with various types of ammunition inside, police said.
About four blocks of Lyndale between Interstate 494 and 82nd Street were closed for about five hours as the manhunt was carried out. Portions of American Boulevard also were closed. All roads reopened about 11 a.m., police said.
A large police presence descended on the area and officers surrounded a Goodwill store on the 7800 block of Lyndale as they searched for the suspects.
One suspect, a 25-year-old St. Paul man, was arrested shortly after police arrived on the scene. A second had been spotted on the roof of the thrift store, and police set up a perimeter around it. The suspect refused commands to surrender, said Deputy Chief Jeff Giles.
An Emergency Response Unit arrived about 10 a.m. as the search for the second suspect continued. Identified as a 30-year-old from South St. Paul, he was later spotted inside the Goodwill and was arrested as he attempted to run outside, Giles said.
No employees or customers were inside the store during the incident.
"All employees are safe and not on site at this time," spokeswoman Melissa Becker said earlier Friday.
A Goodwill employee who answered the phone after the arrests were made said the store would likely open sometime after noon.
The case remains under investigation, Giles said.
Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768
