Stolen Car Crashes Into A House (Photo 1)

Photo by John Hoff

Yesterday, I was in the middle of dealing with my vandalized vehicle, when I saw a very small part of a high-speed police chase...

A silver car was northbound on 6th St. N., a squad car behind it, lights and siren going. Local media later reported it was a stolen car with two suspects at the wheel.

It took me a split second to realize this was a police chase, and not a police car following another car, going somewhere quickly. I had a fleeting thought of grabbing some object and throwing it at the silver vehicle as it passed, or stepping into the street to see if I could make the fleeing car swerve and lose control right in the midst of all the vacant lots and buildings on that part of 6th Street, but the thought was barely conceived as the fleeing car cornered on 30th Ave. N.--utterly heedless of pedestrians--and continued westbound.

My first worry was for Jake and Gabe of 612 Authentic. They had left a moment earlier after shooting some video and I knew they were probably driving while this insane fleeing vehicle shared the same roads. I informed Peter Teachout's spouse, Joy, of what I had witnessed and told her to be careful. I told Peter, Jr. to be careful, too.

"I know how to cross the street," the 6-year-old told me.

"This driver is running from police," I told him. "He's not going to stop like he's supposed to." And Peter, Jr. made the "worried oldest child face."

I saw a plume of black smoke as I was leaving "the block," and drove a short distance to the intersection of 30th Ave. N. and Knox Ave. N.

The fleeing vehicle didn't seem to know about the messy corner at 30th and Knox Ave. N. If you ask me, that corner was designed for a car to go right into a house. This moment was predestined from the moment that street was constructed with a tricky corner.

Many witnesses were watching as the car burned in the house. Peter Teachout was present and saw me, though I didn't see him. He later wondered aloud why the house would catch fire. I told him perhaps gas pipes were broken when the car hit. Maybe the vehicle ripped out its fuel tank on a piece of the house. Why SHOULDN'T a car burst into flames? It is an internal COMBUSTION engine. Its very nature is to be on fire, and only because that nature is contained and channeled does the care fulfill its purpose.

Or something like that. Words to that effect, though probably more articulate, here.

Witnesses at the scene said two passengers emerged from the car and fled. One was "a bloody mess" and was apprehended quickly. The other, they were not so sure. The residents had seen the police searching with dogs. The television station makes it sound like the two suspects were caught quickly. Not what I heard.

I saw the owner of the house arrive. I'm not sure if she's the one in this car. I saw her later when she walked up, when some neighbors standing on the curb said, "Here's the owner, right now. That lady, there." I saw the officer question the owner as to who may have been in the house. Nobody was in the house, she said. I think she said something about her husband being elsewhere.

I'm amazed by how long it takes to open up a hydrant and get water on a blaze. Don't we have more modern fire-fighting equipment in Minneapolis? Don't we have something that can go right up to a fire and blast foam, putting it out quickly? Or is that something other parts of the city have, and North Minneapolis just doesn't?