One arrested after high-speed chase; Taken to hospital after allegedly ingesting meth
Published 10:55 am Monday, June 11, 2018
Elijah Joel Beckman, 30, was charged on Monday in Mower County District Court with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, two counts of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and gross misdemeanor DWI-operate motor vehicle under the influence of any amount of schedule I/II drugs-not marijuana.
According to Mower County Sgt. Investigator Steven Sandvik, a Mower County deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop on the vehicle Beckman was driving at 8:10 p.m. on Friday after observing a taillight was out. The deputy turned on his lights while behind the vehicle on Country Road 1 near 620th Avenue, but the vehicle did not stop. The deputy then activated his sirens and pursued the vehicle.
The chase ran over 42.9 miles along several roads with speeds reaching up to 96 miles per hour, according to Sandvik. The vehicle avoided spike strips placed in the area of Country Roads 1 and 7, at which point the deputy radioed Grand Meadow police for assistance.
Court documents state that an attempt by a Grand Meadow officer to spike the vehicle at Highway 16 and County Road 55 resulted in Beckman swerving the vehicle toward the officer and passing within 20 feet of him, which a pursuing deputy believed was done to try and harm the officer.
One deputy made a successful PIT — Pursuit Intervention Technique — maneuver on County Road 13, that forced the vehicle into the south ditch, according to Sandvik. However, the vehicle drove east in the ditch before getting back on the road.
A state trooper deployed spike strips on Highway 16 near 690th Avenue, successfully spiking three of the vehicle’s tires, Sandvik said. The vehicle stopped near 680th Avenue and Beckman was arrested for felony pursuit and outstanding warrants.
Two passengers in the car with Beckman were released.
Deputies took a blood sample from Beckman for a suspected DWI after receiving a search warrant from a judge, Sandvik added.
While on the way to the Mower County Jail, Beckman allegedly told the deputy he had ingested methamphetamine after running over the spike strips and was not feeling well. He was taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin and was medically cleared before being taken to jail.
A review of Beckman’s criminal record shows prior convictions for fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. He is awaiting sentencing for a felony domestic assault conviction.