Kidnapping Suspect Nabbed in Burnsville After Hours-Long Operation, Pursuit
Derrick Fasig, in a booking photo taken Feb. 12, 2022
Officers from multiple law enforcement agencies arrested a kidnapping suspect and found the female victim safe after a long-running tracking operation spanning more than a day and multiple metro locations.
The suspect, Derrick Jonathan Fasig, 27, fled from a 2005 Chevy Tahoe after ditching it near the Shell station at 12340 Nicollet Ave. shortly after 4:30 p.m.
YOUTUBE: Dispatch audio of the pursuit
Officers took Fasig into custody after he ran from the vehicle to the north, near Enterprise, 12445 River Ridge Blvd., according to initial law enforcement dispatch audio.
Medics were requested for an evaluation of the suspect, who had some lacerations to his hand. The woman who was inside the vehicle was apparently unharmed.
Officers cleared the vehicle and searched the area for possible evidence. Fasig had been sought since Thursday’s kidnapping at gunpoint in north Minneapolis.
The female victim, Azaria Sandifer, was reported missing by the FBI on Friday morning, and law enforcement had been tracking the vehicle and a cell phone involved since the incident happened.
The FBI confirmed on Twitter around 5:10 p.m. that Sandifer was found and was safe.
Court records show Fasig has a prior felony conviction for kidnapping in 2017, and previous convictions for aggravated robbery and assault.
