CHARGES: Dog thrown from vehicle, victims carjacked during crime spree
Two of the suspects: Gurneau (L), and Goodman
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has charged two people in connection with a crime spree that left a dog with serious injuries and multiple victims violently carjacked in late January.
Raylean Chasity Gurneau, 27, of Minneapolis, is charged with felony fleeing police in a motor vehicle, one count of felony animal cruelty, three counts of gross misdemeanor animal abuse and a gross misdemeanor charge of placing a fictitious 911 call after allegedly throwing a dog from a truck while she was inside, fleeing police.
Donovan Alan Goodman, 33, of Bemidji, is charged with felony aggravated robbery, vehicle theft, illegal possession of a firearm and fleeing police in a motor vehicle after allegedly driving the stolen pickup truck involved.
According to criminal complaints, just before 11 p.m. Jan. 30, a Ramsey County deputy observed a Ford F150 speeding and running a red light on Little Canada Rd., near I-35E in Little Canada. The deputy attempted to make a traffic stop, but Goodman fled, driving on the wrong side of the road at a high rate of speed.
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During the pursuit, dispatchers received a 911 call on a report of a carjacking and someone being shot near Little Canada Rd. and I-35E. Dispatchers began pinging the cellphone that made the 911 call to get a better location of the reported shooting. Deputies searched the area, but no victims were found. Deputies believed that the 911 call was placed fictitiously to divert police from the pursuit.
Goodman continued to flee on I-694 to near Victoria Ave., where he briefly stopped on the exit ramp. A rear passenger opened their door, pointed a firearm at another vehicle and attempted to carjack a black SUV, but that driver successfully fled.
Goodman continued driving to Lexington Ave., around stop sticks that were deployed by deputies.
Officers tried to perform a PIT maneuver to disable the vehicle when they observed the rear passenger door open and a small white dog get thrown into the road. Deputies say the dog rolled multiple times on the pavement due to the truck’s speed.
A deputy then performed a successful PIT maneuver and the truck was stopped in the center median. Two male suspects then fled on foot from the truck.
The first suspect, now identified as Chue Feng Yang, exited on the driver’s side and was carrying a handgun with a silver slide. He fled to a nearby intersection, where he allegedly carjacked the driver of a Honda CRV at gunpoint and fled in the vehicle.
The second suspect, Goodman, exited the driver’s seat and was also carrying a firearm. He ran into traffic on I-694 and carjacked a different Honda CRV at gunpoint and drove off. The CRV was later found abandoned in the city of Mounds View.
Deputies arrested the two remaining occupants of the truck. Gurneau was located passed out in the backseat of the pickup truck from a suspected narcotic overdose. Deputies administered Narcan before paramedics transported her to Regions Hospital.
Inside the truck, deputies found the cellphone used to place the fictitious 911 call, as well as a large amount of methamphetamine in a backpack. Deputies used their drone team to search for the dog that was thrown from the truck and were able to locate “Taho,” who had suffered multiple lacerations and a broken leg. “Taho” was brought to a veterinary hospital to be treated for injuries.
Goodman was arrested by Minneapolis police on Feb. 25 for another incident in which he allegedly carjacked an Uber driver at gunpoint with two passengers inside. While in custody, Goodman told investigators that he was driving the stolen truck, knew about the methamphetamine and admitted to carjacking the Honda CRV.
Goodman also admitted that Yang was a passenger in the truck and had a handgun with a silver slide. He told investigators that Gurneau made the fake 911 call and that she threw the dog “Taho” from the truck, the documents say. Goodman has pending federal cases and previous convictions for offenses including aggravated robbery, 2nd-degree assault, 1st-degree burglary and drug- and firearm-related offenses.
Gurneau was interviewed while in custody and told officers that she was in the rear seat of the truck and was under the influence of narcotics. She admitted to making the fake 911 call and when asked about “Taho,” she told investigators that she and Yang were dog-sitting. Gurneau denied throwing him from the vehicle but also stated that she didn’t remember what happened.
Gurneau was placed on probation for a previous felony animal cruelty conviction for an incident in Bloomington in 2021. There, police found a dog abandoned in a parking lot and discovered that the dog had been shot between 10-12 times with a BB gun, resulting in the dog’s right eye having to be surgically removed. Bloomington police reviewed surveillance footage which showed Yang and Gurneau dumping the dog in the parking lot and leaving in a stolen vehicle.
According to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, “Taho” is being cared for by a dog rescue and rehabilitation organization as he recovers from physical and emotional abuse.
The Ramsey County Sheriff’s Foundation has accepted donations to cover medical costs for “Taho,” which have totaled more than $15,000 as of earlier this spring. If you would like to help with the recovery, visit the Ramsey County Sheriff's Foundation website.
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