Patrol: Troopers acted correctly in chase, playground crash
Published 8:15 am Wednesday, December 5, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota State Patrol says troopers worked within agency guidelines on pursuits when they chased a speeding driver who subsequently struck three children in a north Minneapolis playground.
Minnesota Public Radio News reports that the Patrol on Tuesday released squad car video of the June 11 chase.
The six-minute pursuit ends when the driver barrels into playground equipment at Jenny Lind Elementary School, striking three siblings, ages 2, 3 and 4. The children were seriously injured but survived.
State Patrol Chief Col. Matt Langer says that while seeing troopers drive fast is uncomfortable viewing, there are times when it is required to mitigate greater potential risks.
The video doesn’t include the moment the children were hit.
The driver, Kabaar Powell, is serving a 33-month prison sentence for the crash.