High-Speed Pursuit Through Bemidji Ends With an Arrest

An otherwise quiet Monday afternoon was abruptly interrupted with a high-speed chase that began near Beltrami Avenue and 10th Street, continued through Downtown Bemidji, and ended in a field near Pine Grove Street, just west of Washington Avenue.

Eric Grigsby, 38, of Remer, Minn.

According to a criminal complaint from the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office, the pursuit began around 4:43 p.m. when Eric Grigsby, 38, of Remer, Minn., neglected to stop after a Minnesota State Patrol trooper attempted to pull him over because the vehicle’s license registration sticker had expired last September.

The chase reached speeds of 60 mph and had law enforcement officials concerned as there was heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the area. According to the report, Grigsby sped past Central Elementary School and through the Union Square parking lot before getting on to Paul Bunyan Drive in heavy traffic. At that point the trooper lost sight of Grigsby, who was driving a tan Buick.

The Bemidji Police Department and Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office located the vehicle a few minutes later in a field near Pine Grove Street. According to the complaint, Grigsby had fled on foot, leaving his passengers behind. Soon after, law enforcement officials were able to locate Grigsby and arrested him.

As of Tuesday, March 15, Grigsby was being held in Beltrami County Jail on a count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.