Cass Lake Girl Identified as Victim of Crash Following Pursuit in Itasca County

We have more information on the fatal crash that killed a juvenile female following a police pursuit in Itasca County early Sunday morning.

A press release from the Minnesota BCA says the victim of the crash was a 13-year-old girl from Cass Lake. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office identifies her as Angelica Bryan.

According to the preliminary investigation by the BCA, an Itasca County Sheriff’s Office deputy attempted to stop a 2003 Honda Odyssey for driving with no headlights at approximately 1:30 a.m. on April 20th. The vehicle was traveling west on County Road 63 near the intersection of County Road 271 when the deputy activated their emergency lights in an attempt to pull the vehicle over.

The driver of the Honda Odyssey failed to stop and accelerated away from the deputy, who initiated a pursuit. During the pursuit, the vehicle reached speeds estimated to be over 90 miles per hour. The Minnesota State Patrol deployed a stop stick tire-deflation device during the pursuit, but it failed to make contact with the vehicle’s tires.

The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Bryan, continued to drive with no headlights on Highway 6 and drove off the roadway just east of County Road 11, where the van collided with a tree and came to a stop. Bryan was the sole occupant of the vehicle and was pronounced dead on scene as a result of the injuries she suffered in the crash.

The BCA’s preliminary investigation revealed that the vehicle driven by Bryan was a stolen vehicle that was taken that night from a home in the city of Cohasset. No physical contact was made with the vehicle by any law enforcement officer’s squad cars involved in the pursuit.

The BCA agreed to investigate the pursuit and crash at the request of the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office to avoid a conflict of interest. This pursuit and subsequent crash remain under investigation.