Duluth Man Crashes, Flees Into Woods After High-Speed Pursuit Near Proctor

A 39-year-old Duluth man wanted in connection with a violent assault in Hibbing led St. Louis County deputies on a roughly 13-mile pursuit along Highway 2 on Monday before crashing into two other vehicles in Proctor, then bolting into a wooded ravine where he was subdued with a Taser and taken into custody.

The chase began around 12:07 p.m. when a St. Louis County Sheriff's Office deputy in the Saginaw area spotted a vehicle linked to a Hibbing Police investigation into an assault that had occurred the previous night. When deputies attempted a traffic stop, the driver refused and sped off eastbound on Highway 2.

During the pursuit, deputies reported seeing the driver throw a powdery substance from the vehicle window. The substance has not been identified, and authorities have not elaborated on its nature.

The chase ended at the intersection of Highway 2 and Boundary Avenue in Proctor, where the suspect's vehicle collided with two other cars. Rather than surrender, the man ran from the scene into a nearby wooded ravine. Deputies used a Taser to take him into custody. WDIO reported that other people involved in the three-vehicle crash sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene, though the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office told Northern News Now that no injuries were reported by occupants of the struck vehicles.

Authorities quickly cleared debris from the roadway and traffic on Highway 2 resumed. Hermantown Police, Proctor Police, the Minnesota State Patrol, and Mayo Clinic Ambulance assisted with the response.

The suspect was transported to the St. Louis County Jail in Duluth, where he is being held on multiple felony charges. Authorities have not released his name or disclosed specific details about the Hibbing assault that triggered the pursuit. The investigation into both the original assault and the suspect's actions during the chase remains ongoing.