I-494 Chase Suspect Charged With Fleeing Cops, Possessing Cocaine
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The man who led authorities on a high-speed chase Wednesday shortly after a police officer was shot and killed has been charged with two felonies unrelated to the officer's death.
Steven Kellum, 46, of Minneapolis, faces one count of fleeing a police officer, one count of fifth-degree drug possession and one misdemeanor count of refusing to submit to a chemical test.
The charges stem from a chase Wednesday afternoon that ended on Interstate 494. According to a criminal complaint, Kellum's car – a Pontiac Grand Am – matched the description of the car believed to be involved in the death of Mendota Heights police officer Scott Patrick. Police also said that Kellum matched the description of the suspect in Patrick's killing.
A state trooper tried to pull Kellum over in the area of 1st Street and D Street in Mendota Heights, the complaint states. While Kellum initially pulled up on the shoulder, he then sped off toward Highway 110. He went the wrong way down streets, weaved between cars and drove on shoulders to evade police.
Authorities used stomp sticks to slow Kellum, but he drove onto Interstate 494 with flat tires. The chase ended after an officer did a pit maneuver on Kellum's car, causing him to spin out on the Lake Street exit.
Multiple officers slowly approached Kellum's car with guns drawn, demanding he get out. Kellum refused. That's when officers set police dogs on him. Still, he refused.
Officers eventually got close enough to Kellum to shock him with a stungun. They then arrested him, noticing his pupil were "pin points" and his speech was slurred. Authorities found cocaine in his car.
According to the complaint, Kellum told officers he fled because he did not have a valid driver's license.
If convicted of all charges, Kellum could face 9 years in prison and/or a $18,000 fine.
The suspect in Wednesday's tragic cop killing – David Fitch – was arrested that night after a firefight with police just blocks north of the Capitol. He was charged Friday in Patrick's killing.
