UPDATE: Feds ID man arrested after high-speed I-94 chase

Federal agents identified one of two men arrested Friday morning following a high-speed chase out of Hudson into Washington County.

The U.S. Marshals Service named Ernest Donald Atchison as the passenger of a vehicle that rammed a Hudson police car and sped off to Minnesota in a chase that ended in Oakdale.

Agents said Atchison, 29, was wanted on Ramsey County felony warrants including theft, robbery, fleeing police and probation violation.

Thomas Volk, a U.S. Marshals deputy, did not release the driver’s name since charges were pending.

A Marshals Service news release spells out the chain of events like this:

Marshals’ deputies received information that led them to Hudson’s Super 8 Hotel, where they saw Atchison and an unidentified driver get into a white SUV and leave the premises.

Hudson police attempted to stop the vehicle, which in turned rammed the squad car and drove onto Interstate 94 toward Minnesota with authorities giving chase. The Hudson officer was not injured, the release states.

The vehicle, which reportedly reached speeds of 100 mph during the pursuit, fled through the east metro into Oakdale, where the occupants abandoned the vehicle and attempted to flee on foot.

Atchison was arrested outside LA Fitness in Oakdale; the driver of the vehicle was arrested inside an LA Fitness locker room.

Both men were taken into custody without incident.

The marshals service said Ramsey County deputies had previously attempted to apprehend Atchison on Wednesday, but he fled officers in a vehicle. That also led to a high-speed chase that was ultimately called off for safety concerns.

Agencies assisting in Friday’s incident included the Minnesota State Patrol, Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Department, Oakdale police, the Minnesota Department of Conservation and the Wisconsin Department of Conservation.

Atchison was jailed in Ramsey County, where he was booked on the outstanding warrants. The driver was taken to Washington County jail, where charges were pending.

Tags: crime and courts, news, crime