Man charged after Eden Prairie traffic stop leads to high-speed chase

An Illinois man faces a felony charge after allegedly leading police on a high-speed chase through Eden Prairie, Carver County, and Shakopee in a stolen SUV, according to a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court.

Deon Jabar Jones, 27, of University Park, Illinois, a village about 30 miles south of Chicago, was stopped by an Eden Prairie police officer at about 11:20 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9, near Spring Road and Flying Cloud Drive. The officer pulled over the Chevrolet Trailblazer Jones was driving after noticing it had no front or rear license plates. However, as the officer stepped out to approach the vehicle, it sped away from the traffic stop, the complaint states.

Officers pursued the vehicle north on Spring Road and into Carver and Scott counties before deploying a PIT maneuver – a technique in which a police vehicle bumps the fleeing car to spin it out – near 1st Avenue East and Spencer Street South in Shakopee. The Trailblazer came to a stop, and Jones, the vehicle’s sole occupant, was taken into custody.

Inside the vehicle, police found a Michigan license plate and a Texas temporary tag. Investigators determined the vehicle’s vehicle identification number did not match the Michigan plate, and the SUV had been reported stolen in Carver County.

Jones was booked into the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center, where he reportedly told officers he did not want to stop because “it was dark out.” He was released on Jan. 13 after posting a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court in Minneapolis on March 6 for an omnibus hearing.

If convicted of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony under Minnesota law, Jones could face up to three years in prison and/or a $5,000 fine.