Crookston, MN - Bar Room Altercation Call,
Suspect Assaults Officer - Pepper Sprayed - Tazered - Suspect Steals Patrol Car
- High Speed Escape - Crashes And Kills Civilian - Others Injured
September 3,
2011
crookstontimes.com
Crookston Police Chief Tim Motherway Sunday afternoon released the name of the victim of Saturday's fatal collision in Crookston, after Ricardo Mello, 23, allegedly assaulted police officers at Crooks Club, stole a squad car, and crashed into a Chevy S-10 pickup near the Crookston Fire Department. Eddie Robert Briggs, 78, was driving the pickup and died from his injuries. His body has been sent to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy. Briggs' wife, Patricia Johnette Briggs, 57, is hospitalized in fair condition at RiverView Hospital in Crookston.
Mello earlier Sunday was listed in stable condition at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, but early Sunday evening was released from the hospital, taken into custody and transported to the Northwest Regional Corrections Center in Crookston, where he's facing charges of fourth degree asasult, theft of a motor vehicle, criminal vehicle operation, terroristic threats, damage to property, controlled substance in the 4th degree and obstructing legal process. Additional charges maybe forthcoming, Motherway stated in the latest release.
Also on Sunday, Motherway announced that a second suspect who was with Mello earlier on Saturday when police were first called to the VFW is also in custody, although Motherway said he had nothing to do with the stolen squad car and fatal crash. According to the release, around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, upon arrival at the VFW, officers spoke to the reporting parties who reported that two suspects had been pounding on their car and saying they owed them money and threatening them. When officers attempted to make contact with the two suspects, Mello ignored their verbal commands and walked into Crooks Club. The second suspect, Carlos Romero Jr., 42, of Crookston had stopped and told an officer his name before the officer had entered Crooks Club and the encounter with Mello ensued.
After further investigation into the original complaint, officers learned that the reporting parties were confronted by the two suspects on Market Street in the area behind Crooks Club and then again in the area by the VFW. Romero Jr. was saying that the reporting party owed him money and was threatening them. They had pounded on their vehicle and kicked their vehicle causing damage to the fender. Romero, Jro. made terroristic threats to the reporting parties, the release states, then officers arrived on the scene.
At 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, officers went to the Care and Share in Crookston and arrested Romero Jr. without incident for terroristic threats in connection to the original complaint made behind the VFW.
That's the latest as of Sunday at around 6 p.m. The CPD continues to investigate, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol. Check the revolving carousel of photos and stories on the Times' homepage for photos of Saturday's fatal crash scene.
For background purposes, what follows is the news release sent Saturday night from Chief Motherway. It contains information that has been updated as of Sunday:
The driver of a small pickup was killed in Crookston Saturday afternoon when, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, the pickup was struck by a male behind the wheel of a Crookston Police Department squad car at the southern edge of downtown that he's accused of stealing after a confrontation with a police officer.
On Saturday, Sept. 3, at 2:19 p.m. officers of the Crookston Police Department responded to the Crookston VFW Post 1902 on the report of damage to property. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the reporting parties, who reported the suspects had been pounding on their car and saying they owed them money and threatening them. When officers attempted to make contact with one of the suspects. He ignored their verbal commands and walked into Crooks Club, a lounge located to the north of the VFW on Main Street in downtown Crookston.
Officers went to Crooks Club, where they encountered the suspect, Ricardo Mello, 23, of Crookston. When attempting to take the suspect into custody a fight ensued. The suspect assaulted the officers, officers used a tazer on the suspect, which had little to no effect. Officers deployed pepper mace, which also had little to no effect on the suspect. The suspect was able to get away from officers and run out of the bar, where he jumped into a squad car. Officers tried stopping the suspect, but were feeling the effects of the pepper mace, and the suspect was able to drive off, stealing a Crookston Police car. The suspect left Crooks Club and traveled south on South Main St. at a high rate of speed. An officer radioed to dispatch that the suspect had got away driving a stolen police car.
The suspect, driving a stolen police car traveling at a high rate of speed, was attempting to make the corner at S. Main St. and Old Highway 75, where it went over the center line and collided with a 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, that was traveling east on Old Highway 75. After the crash the suspect, who was injured, was transported to Riverview Hospital by a passerby. The crash occurred near the Crookston Fire Department and firefighters assisted at the scene. Crookston Area Ambulance Service transported the driver of the pickup and a passenger to Riverview Hospital.
Officers responded to Riverview ER, where there was another altercation with the suspect, who was taken into custody.
Mello earlier Sunday was listed in stable condition at Altru Hospital in Grand Forks, but early Sunday evening was released from the hospital, taken into custody and transported to the Northwest Regional Corrections Center in Crookston, where he's facing charges of fourth degree asasult, theft of a motor vehicle, criminal vehicle operation, terroristic threats, damage to property, controlled substance in the 4th degree and obstructing legal process. Additional charges maybe forthcoming, Motherway stated in the latest release.
Also on Sunday, Motherway announced that a second suspect who was with Mello earlier on Saturday when police were first called to the VFW is also in custody, although Motherway said he had nothing to do with the stolen squad car and fatal crash. According to the release, around 2:20 p.m. Saturday, upon arrival at the VFW, officers spoke to the reporting parties who reported that two suspects had been pounding on their car and saying they owed them money and threatening them. When officers attempted to make contact with the two suspects, Mello ignored their verbal commands and walked into Crooks Club. The second suspect, Carlos Romero Jr., 42, of Crookston had stopped and told an officer his name before the officer had entered Crooks Club and the encounter with Mello ensued.
After further investigation into the original complaint, officers learned that the reporting parties were confronted by the two suspects on Market Street in the area behind Crooks Club and then again in the area by the VFW. Romero Jr. was saying that the reporting party owed him money and was threatening them. They had pounded on their vehicle and kicked their vehicle causing damage to the fender. Romero, Jro. made terroristic threats to the reporting parties, the release states, then officers arrived on the scene.
At 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, officers went to the Care and Share in Crookston and arrested Romero Jr. without incident for terroristic threats in connection to the original complaint made behind the VFW.
That's the latest as of Sunday at around 6 p.m. The CPD continues to investigate, with assistance from the Minnesota State Patrol. Check the revolving carousel of photos and stories on the Times' homepage for photos of Saturday's fatal crash scene.
For background purposes, what follows is the news release sent Saturday night from Chief Motherway. It contains information that has been updated as of Sunday:
The driver of a small pickup was killed in Crookston Saturday afternoon when, according to the Minnesota State Patrol, the pickup was struck by a male behind the wheel of a Crookston Police Department squad car at the southern edge of downtown that he's accused of stealing after a confrontation with a police officer.
On Saturday, Sept. 3, at 2:19 p.m. officers of the Crookston Police Department responded to the Crookston VFW Post 1902 on the report of damage to property. Upon arrival, officers spoke to the reporting parties, who reported the suspects had been pounding on their car and saying they owed them money and threatening them. When officers attempted to make contact with one of the suspects. He ignored their verbal commands and walked into Crooks Club, a lounge located to the north of the VFW on Main Street in downtown Crookston.
Officers went to Crooks Club, where they encountered the suspect, Ricardo Mello, 23, of Crookston. When attempting to take the suspect into custody a fight ensued. The suspect assaulted the officers, officers used a tazer on the suspect, which had little to no effect. Officers deployed pepper mace, which also had little to no effect on the suspect. The suspect was able to get away from officers and run out of the bar, where he jumped into a squad car. Officers tried stopping the suspect, but were feeling the effects of the pepper mace, and the suspect was able to drive off, stealing a Crookston Police car. The suspect left Crooks Club and traveled south on South Main St. at a high rate of speed. An officer radioed to dispatch that the suspect had got away driving a stolen police car.
The suspect, driving a stolen police car traveling at a high rate of speed, was attempting to make the corner at S. Main St. and Old Highway 75, where it went over the center line and collided with a 1998 Chevrolet S-10 pickup, that was traveling east on Old Highway 75. After the crash the suspect, who was injured, was transported to Riverview Hospital by a passerby. The crash occurred near the Crookston Fire Department and firefighters assisted at the scene. Crookston Area Ambulance Service transported the driver of the pickup and a passenger to Riverview Hospital.
Officers responded to Riverview ER, where there was another altercation with the suspect, who was taken into custody.