By: Alex Evans
AITKIN, Minn. – A truck hauling a van flees a traffic stop, then strikes two Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office squad cars during the pursuit, deputies say.
Two Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office squad cars were taken out of a pursuit on Sunday, when the suspect vehicle struck them at separate points on Minnesota Highway 210. Dallon Wayne White, 40, of Cloquet, is charged with allegedly fleeing the initial traffic stop, striking the deputies’ vehicles, and then running into nearby woods when his vehicle was disabled, according to the criminal complaint.
A deputy said he pulled White over near the Aitkin government center at around 9:45 p.m. on Sunday. White was reportedly driving a Chevy Silverado and hauling a van on a vehicle trailer; however, the deputy claimed the reason for the stop was that the trailer’s lights were not functioning.
The deputy ran White’s license and found that his “driving privileges were cancelled.” White was asked to step out of the truck, to which he “stated he would not step out, rolled up his window, and drove away from the traffic stop,” according to the complaint.
White reportedly drove eastward out of Aitkin and then towards McGregor on Highway 210. Three other deputies and a state trooper joined in the pursuit and “attempted to box in” White’s truck.
A deputy attempted to pass in front of White’s truck, but claimed that White “deliberately swerved towards his squad car, striking the passenger side and forcing [the deputy] into the west ditch at a high rate of speed.” The squad car reportedly “sustained two flat tires and damage [to] the passenger side wheels and rims.”
White “swerved and struck” a second deputy’s squad car, which was on his right-hand side, according to the complaint. As the squad car was pushed to the shoulder, the deputy “attempted a PIT maneuver on the trailer, but [White] was able to hold the road.” The collision disabled the squad car, “causing a flat tire and pulling the bumper forward.”
Spike strips were deployed at the intersection of Highway 210 and 257th Avenue by an Aitkin County Patrol Sergeant. White’s vehicle reportedly struck the strips and drove roughly two more miles before stopping at a gravel pit.
Deputies found a passenger outside of the vehicle with his hands up, but White ran into the woods, refusing to obey commands. White continued a short distance until he fell down and was placed in handcuffs.
At 10:45 p.m., White was transported via ambulance to Riverwood Healthcare Center before being medically cleared and transferred to the Aitkin County Jail three hours later.
Whites is facing six charges that carry a possible combined sentence of 22 years and 180 days in prison.
The Twin Ports Report 