A video released by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office on Friday shows Troy Allen Engstrom shooting a pistol once at a police officer in Mounds View and once at a deputy sheriff before he hit him with his unit in Mounds View on September 22.
Angstrom of Shoreview died later that night from multiple blunt force wounds. A 48-year-old Shoreview man was suspected of home assault and charged with pistol shooting at a nearby hotel earlier that day.
The 24-second video is cut short just before the SUV collides with Engstrom, who is trying to escape with a pistol in his right hand.
Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said on Friday that the video was edited so as not to show when Angstrom was hit “for his family’s sake.”
Fletcher said the video shows the danger posed by Angstrom, whose bullets nearly hit the officer and deputy.
“The shots hit both squad vehicles, and they were inches from the officers’ heads,” Fletcher said. “They were both very lucky not to have been killed.”
WHAT THE VIDEO SHOWS
The video shows the deputy – Sgt. Donald Rindahl – Drives an SUV east on County Road H2 before crossing Mounds View Boulevard and soon arriving at where Angstrom stood on the sidewalk. Angstrom’s pistol is aimed at Officer Mounds View’s off-road vehicle, which has stopped with the driver’s side door open.
Engstrom shot the officer.
“Got a gun! Shots fired! Shots fired! ”Rindal told the dispatchers.
Engstrom points his pistol at Rindal and fires a second shot; Rindal then accelerates towards Engstrom. Then the video stops.
HOW IT BEGAN
The incident began after Mounds View Police answered a call at 10:40 am about an alleged home assault involving a man who fired a pistol in a room at the AmericInn by Wyndham Hotel at 2200 Mounds View Blvd. The witness said he saw the attack suspect walking outside the Mermaid Grill, which is next to the hotel.
After receiving a description of the suspect, the officer and deputy spotted him near H2 County Road and Jackson Drive, east of Mounds View Boulevard.
According to the sheriff’s office, Engstrom’s bullets hit the officer’s SUV just above the driver’s side windshield and the MP’s SUV just below the driver’s windshield.
A cocked pistol was found at the scene.
Rindal, who has worked in law enforcement for 22 years, has been sent on standard administrative leave, according to a press release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Prosecutions.
RELATED: Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office Released Dash Cam Video Of A Chase That Ends In A Deadly Disaster In Maplewood
WHY RELEASE VIDEO
The BCA is investigating a violent incident involving an officer and will present its findings to prosecutors, who will determine whether Rindal’s actions were lawful.
Fletcher said it was “in the public interest that these videos be released within a reasonable time frame.” The sheriff’s office on Friday also released footage of the MP chasing the stolen car on September 3. The car eventually crashed in Maplewood and two passengers, 14 and 15-year-old students from North High School in North St. Paul, were killed.
Fletcher said Rindal, who has worked in law enforcement for 22 years, has a “exemplary track record,” which includes a 2019 deputy in the sheriff’s office. He returned to work after a week of standard administrative leave.
