Last Wednesday at approximately 11:15 p.m., Big Lake Officer Silas Reek observed a vehicle travel through a red light without stopping. The vehicle turned into a convenience store parking lot where Officer Reek activated his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop.

The vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed through the parking lot. Officer Reek pursued the vehicle. The vehicle turned onto Eagle Lake Rd., traveling southbound in the northbound lanes. The vehicle then turned onto Hwy. 10 traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes. Officer Reek continued to pursue the vehicle in the eastbound lanes while the suspect vehicle continued in opposite lanes. The vehicle accelerated to speeds around 100mph. Due to the safety of other motorists, officers terminated the pursuit.

Elk River Police set up stop sticks in the westbound lanes of Hwy. 10 and observed the vehicle approach their location. The driver slammed on the brakes and turned the vehicle around and crossed over in the eastbound lanes of Hwy. 10. The suspect vehicle continued eastbound in the correct lanes of traffic.

An Elk River officer monitored Hwy. 10 and observed the suspect vehicle approach his location. The officer observed there was a single occupant in the vehicle as it passed his squad car. The suspect vehicle began to accelerate to a high rate of speed and switched to the opposite lanes of traffic traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes. Elk River police later found that the vehicle crashed into the ditch of Hwy. 10, south of Main St.

Elk River officers responded to the scene of the crash, but the driver of the vehicle had fled on foot. A short time later dispatch notified the officers that a resident nearby reported a suspicious male running through yards in her neighborhood. Officers responded to the area and located an individual in a wooded area near the caller’s residence.

The suspect was arrested and identified as Nicholas Briski-Smith, age 24 of Minneapolis.