A 35-year-old woman fled police at 80 miles per hour through Winona, crashed into a building three times and struck a squad car door into an officer's knee before she was caught on foot, charges say.
Mackenzie Lynn Tahtinen, of Winona, faces felony charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. She also faces misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor counts of fleeing on foot, obstruction of the legal process and reckless driving.
A Winona police officer was on patrol near the area of 9th Street and Grand Street on the evening of March 18 when he observed a driver fail to signal before turning northbound onto Huff Street, court documents say. The officer called out a traffic stop and activated his emergency lights, but the driver made no attempt to pull over and instead accelerated.
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When the officer activated his siren, the driver turned onto Harriet Street, ran the stop sign at 7th Street and accelerated west on 6th Street, the complaint says. The officer's radar clocked the driver at 80 miles per hour as she headed westbound on 5th Street. In all, the pursuit covered about 2.2 miles.
Tahtinen eventually pulled into the parking lot of a business, where she allegedly struck the building head-on with the front bumper. The officer pulled up near the driver's side window and identified her.
Tahtinen then reversed the vehicle and hit the building again on the passenger side. The officer stepped out and drew his firearm, ordering her to stop multiple times. Instead, she accelerated in reverse and struck the officer's patrol car door, sending it into his knee.
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Tahtinen turned the vehicle around, positioning it against the back wall of the building. She accelerated toward the officer, who retreated into his squad to avoid being struck, court records say. She nearly hit the officer before crashing into the building a third time, which disabled her vehicle.
Tahtinen then got out and ran westbound. Additional officers arrived and apprehended her in a snowbank. She resisted being handcuffed by tensing up and pulling her arms away, the complaint says, and once in custody, she made several statements including "I'm sorry," and "you guys scared the [expletive] out of me." Tahtinen also allegedly said "I have a warrant and am scared" and "I have warrants and don't want to go to jail."
She was transported to Winona Health for evaluation and cleared with an abrasion on her left knee and right hand. Tahtinen was then transported to the Winona County Jail.
Second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine. Fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle carries up to three years and one day. Tahtinen's next court appearance on these charges is set for April 20.
