A car in the parking lot of the Grand Marais Post Office was taken by 21-year-old Rueben R. Taylor, of McGregor, Minnesota at 1:40 p.m. on Monday, December 22 who then led a Minnesota State Patrol Officer on a high-speed chase on Highway 61.
The 2006 Chevy Trailblazer, owned by David Larsen, 52, of Grand Marais, was located heading southbound by a state trooper who activated lights and sirens. Taylor did not stop and the trooper followed him at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour for 30 miles into Lake County.
The suspect was eventually forced off the road near mile marker 67 by the State Trooper with a pursuit intervention technique (PIT). Minnesota State Patrol Sergeant Neal Dickenson described PIT as a “stop and spin” technique to halt a vehicle. Sgt. Dickenson said, “We’re trained to end pursuits that way.”
The Trailblazer was forced off the road, but continued to drive in the ditch before coming to a stop. The Trailblazer was totaled.
Taylor, who was wearing a seatbelt was transported to North Shore Hospital where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. On release from the hospital he was arrested and charged with theft of a motor vehicle. He is now in custody at Lake County Jail.
The State Patrol vehicle, a 2010 Ford Crown Victoria received moderate damage and was towed to Grand Marais Motors by Cook County Towing.
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