St. Paul man charged in high-speed chase

A 22-year-old St. Paul man, Sammy Sosa (who is not the former professional baseball player), has been charged with one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

The charge stems from a high-speed pursuit that ended in Eden Prairie at about 11:20 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court, the incident began in Brooklyn Center when police responding to a report of a “suspicious” 2021 Dodge Charger blocking a driveway discovered it was stolen. The driver fled when officers attempted to stop the vehicle.

The chase, reaching speeds over 100 mph, continued southbound on Highway 169. Officers repeatedly terminated and reinstated the pursuit, with the vehicle last seen heading south on Flying Cloud Drive.

Eden Prairie officers saturated the area around Flying Cloud Drive, where one officer located the parked suspect vehicle. As the officer approached, the suspect, a white male with curly black hair wearing a black jacket, returned to the stolen vehicle and fled. The vehicle then maneuvered through various parts of Eden Prairie in its flight from law enforcement.

Media outlets displayed footage from Minnesota Department of Transportation cameras showing the car striking several vehicles while exiting the Highway 212 off-ramp onto Prairie Center Drive. The car then continued north on Prairie Center Drive toward Valley View Road, where it descended an embankment and stopped in a parking lot adjacent to Home Depot.

Officers cornered the driver, identified as Sosa, in the parking lot and pulled him out of the car without incident. He was the sole occupant and was not injured despite the collisions.

The stolen vehicle caused minor damage to several vehicles on the Prairie Center Drive off-ramp, resulting in minor injuries to one person, who received treatment from Hennepin Emergency Medical Services.

If convicted, Sosa faces a maximum prison sentence of three years and one day, and a potential fine of $5,000.

As of 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 10, Sosa remains in custody at the Hennepin County Jail.