ROCHESTER — A 24-year-old Rochester man was arrested following a pursuit with law enforcement and a vehicle fire that snarled traffic Monday afternoon, Feb. 28, 2022.
Juan Paulo Martinez Jr. 24, was charged in Olmsted County District Court with felony fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and gross misdemeanor charges of fourth-degree DWI, careless driving and traffic collision.
A trooper was in the area of eastbound U.S. Highway 14 and Minnesota Highway 57 around 4:15 p.m. Monday when the trooper spotted a Mazda 6 speeding. Court records note that the vehicle was clocked going 118 mph in a 65 mph zone.
The trooper attempted to catch up to the vehicle to perform a traffic stop, following the vehicle onto southbound Olmsted County Road 34 and then onto Country Club Road, where it "appeared to have run a stop sign," the criminal complaint states. The trooper "observed the vehicle fishtail and appear to almost enter a ditch before regaining control and reentering eastbound Highway 14."
The trooper caught up with the Mazda on Highway 14 and recorded the vehicle's license plate before discontinuing the pursuit. Other Minnesota State Patrol troopers located the vehicle on the shoulder of eastbound Highway 14 just east of Seventh Street in Rochester and saw a man, later identified as Martinez, running away from it.
ADVERTISEMENT
The vehicle caught fire, which forced law enforcement to stop traffic on a portion of Highway 14 for about 20 minutes as Rochester firefighters worked to put out the fire.
At the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center, Martinez reportedly told troopers "that his speed, and his choice to flee from the troopers were due to him being under the influence of marijuana and cocaine," the criminal complaint states.
Troopers were able to stop Martinez and arrest him. It was later learned that Martinez allegedly hit another vehicle while fleeing.
