Gunfire Ricochets Off Hood of Minn. Deputy's Cruiser into Windshield

A bullet deflected off the hood of a Ramsey County deputy's squad vehicle and struck the windshield after a suspect allegedly opened fire during a road rage incident before fleeing.

By Mara H. Gottfried

Source Pioneer Press

Aug. 19, 2026

2 min read

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A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy escaped injury when a driver allegedly fired at his squad vehicle during a road rage incident in the Maplewood-Roseville area, with the bullet striking the hood and ricocheting into the windshield.
The deputy pursued the suspect's Buick after the shooting, and investigators later identified a second vehicle that picked up the gunman after he abandoned his car in St. Paul.
Law enforcement arrested a 25-year-old St. Paul man after a coordinated search, and investigators recovered a stolen handgun believed to have been used in the shooting.

A Ramsey County deputy's windshield shows damage after a suspect's bullet struck it — A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy and his K-9 escaped injury after gunfire struck his patrol vehicle during an confrontation with a suspected road rage driver.

A driver shot at a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy Tuesday night with a bullet ricocheting off the squad vehicle’s hood and striking the windshield, according to the sheriff’s office.

The deputy and his K-9 were heading to assist with a report of a fight when the deputy saw a possible road rage incident involving the driver of a Buick LeSabre on Rice Street. The deputy began to position his squad behind the Buick, when the driver made a U-turn and fired the shot about 8 p.m. at Rice Street and Roselawn Avenue on the Maplewood- Roseville border, the sheriff’s office said.

The deputy pursued as the driver headed south on Rice Street and east on Wheelock Parkway to the McDonough Homes off Timberlake Road near Jackson Street in St. Paul, where the deputy lost sight of the Buick.

A witness reported the suspect exited the Buick and was picked up by another person.

“Some quick work by a Roseville police officer helped identify the vehicle that picked up the suspect,” the sheriff’s office said in a Wednesday statement. “Its description and license plate were shared over police radio.”

A Minnesota State Patrol trooper saw the car was westbound on Interstate 694 near Rice Street. Law enforcement followed it until a State Patrol aircraft was overhead. The vehicle exited onto eastbound Interstate 94 and was pulled over in Minneapolis.

The 25-year-old passenger, a St. Paul resident, was identified as the shooting suspect, the sheriff’s office said. Law enforcement arrested him and the driver.

Investigators determined the suspect threw a handgun from the vehicle during the pursuit, and a handgun was found in the 1900 block of Rice Street during a search by another Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy and her K-9. The gun was determined to have been stolen.

The sheriff’s office carried out search warrants at the suspect’s home and two vehicles Tuesday night.

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