MAZEPPA, Minn. – Police called in a helicopter after a man wanted for assault smashed his pickup truck into a tree near Mazeppa and fled into the woods. The man was caught in a sandpit by a K-9 unit. He was hospitalized for injuries suffered while he was being taken into custody. Sheriff Rodney Bartsch did not release the man’s name immediately, although the man was identified as wanted in Red Wing and also in Washington state. The chase began after police were called about 11;30 p.m., Monday, to a residence where there a handgun was fired several times, apparently in a family dispute. When deputies arrived, they recognized a white pickup matching the description of one driven by a man wanted in Red Wing, 25 miles away, for an attempted shooting and an assault on a family member. The pickup sped out of the driveway. The vehicle pursuit ended when the driver collided with a tree in Mazeppa. The driver then took off on foot. In all, five police agencies were summoned, A State Patrol helicopter spotted the mam. A K-9 unit went in for the arrest.
