Minneapolis Man, 30, Charged for Stolen Taxi Pursuit, Running Down Pedestrian
The man accused of stealing a taxi in downtown Minneapolis and leading officers on a pursuit through the city—running down a pedestrian and crashing through a parking ramp’s steel fence—has been identified as a 30-year-old Minneapolis man.
Joseph Francis Sandoval II, accused of stealing a taxi in downtown Minneapolis and leading officers on a pursuit through the city.
Joseph Francis Sandoval II allegedly told investigators he knew the pedestrian he struck and that he did it because the victim had been “messing with his sister.”
According to a statement of probable cause filed in court:
Police received the initial report of the stolen taxi in the area of 9th St. & Nicollet Ave. just after 9 a.m. Thursday, March 25. The driver of the taxi told police he was taking a client who uses a wheelchair to the store when he got out to help the client exit the van. The driver of the taxi said a man, later identified as Sandoval, suddenly jumped into the driver’s seat and sped away.
With the help of the taxi’s GPS tracking technology and by scrambling a State Patrol helicopter to assist overhead, police were able to see Sandoval drive through the south side of the city in the stolen taxi. When Sandoval was driving erratically in the area of Portland Ave. S. & E. 18th St., he allegedly struck a pedestrian and backed the taxi up, accelerating toward the pedestrian and striking him again.
DISPATCH AUDIO: Taxi Thief Runs Over Pedestrian, Strikes Squad in Wild Minneapolis Pursuit
Sandoval continued, driving the wrong way down a one-way street and onto downtown Minneapolis sidewalks, ran into a pole and struck a construction barricade. Sandoval drove into a parking ramp, crashing through the closed steel doors and became trapped at the end of the ramp, the documents said.
Officers surrounded the parking ramp and moved in, apprehending Sandoval by around 10:35 a.m.
According to the charging documents, Sandoval said he knew the pedestrian he had struck, that he was angry with him for “messing with his sister” and he had intentionally run him down with the taxi. The documents also reveal that while being interviewed after his arrest, Sandoval punched an investigator in the face, resulting in injuries.
The pedestrian who was struck had multiple pelvic fractures, according to the documents, and may need to have surgery.
Sandoval was arrested and booked into the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center on probable cause charges of criminal vehicular operation, theft of a motor vehicle, assault, fleeing a peace officer and damage to property. He has prior criminal history for misdemeanor assault, damage to property, fleeing, theft and other convictions.
The flight path of a State Patrol helicopter as it tracked a stolen taxi in Minneapolis on Thursday, March 25, 2021. OpenADSB
Our previous coverage on the incident