5 Arrested, Guns Seized After High-Speed Pursuit Ends in Plymouth
Officers taking a suspect into custody after a pursuit from Minneapolis ended in Plymouth on Monday, May 3, 2021. Submitted
A submitted photo shows officers taking several suspects into custody after a pursuit from Minneapolis ended in Plymouth on Monday, May 3, 2021.
Dispatch audio and traffic camera video give more details into the wild, high-speed pursuit of an armed suspect that ended with a PIT maneuver in Plymouth.
Officers had been tracking the man, Mickiel J. Jones, 27, all morning throughout Minneapolis and Saint Paul in relation to a recent shooting in which a rifle was used.
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The pursuit started in north Minneapolis after an attempted traffic stop of the vehicle. Jones drove off at a high rate of speed, eventually southbound on Hwy. 100, then west on Hwy. 55.
Officers used a PIT maneuver to disable to vehicle near Hwy. 55 & Peony Ln. and made a felony stop, with guns drawn as they pulled each occupant out.
In all, five people were arrested, including Jones, and several firearms were recovered from the vehicle, including an AR-15-style rifle and a handgun with a 50-round drum magazine, documents show.
Jones was wanted in relation to a shooting in north Minneapolis in late April that left a woman injured.
According to public court records, another suspect taken into custody was Derek L. Leake, 20. He has a previous felony conviction in Anoka County for 1st-degree assault. A criminal complaint says that on July 23, 2017, officers with the Columbia Heights Police Department responded to an alley to investigate a report of an intoxicated male. When police arrived, they found a victim suffering from a severe head injury.
Officers learned the victim had been robbed and beaten by several people there. The victim was transported to the hospital where he was diagnosed with several skull fractures, a fractured clavicle, a fractured spine and a brain bleed. It was later determined that the victim’s cell phone and shoes were taken in the robbery.
Surveillance video showed three male suspects kicking, stomping and jumping on the victim’s face and torso while he was motionless on the ground. Leake eventually pleaded guilty to 1st-degree assault and received a stayed sentence of 10 years in prison, meaning he would not serve prison time.
Ultimately, Leake was released from jail on credit for time served, given 60 hours of community service and was ordered on probation for a period of 10 years. A departure report signed by the court said Leake would avoid any prison time because he showed remorse and would be particularly amenable to probation. The prosecutor did not object to the downward departure.
The reason for departure was written as: “Defendant is amenable to probation, the State is in agreement and the Court is damn proud of him.” Records show seven months later, a warrant was issued for Leake’s arrest as he didn’t maintain contact with his probation officer.
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