Erik Rust

REGIONAL- A 38-year-old Ely man was taken into custody Sunday after leading law enforcement on a high-speed pursuit that began in connection with a domestic assault investigation and ended in a crash in a highway construction zone near Eveleth.
St. Louis County deputies received a COPS alert just before 11:40 a.m. on July 20 advising that a suspect – later identified as Erik Michael Rust – was wanted for multiple offenses originating in Isanti County, including domestic assault, violating a domestic abuse no contact order, and weapons possession involving a crossbow. The alert noted that Rust had made threats against both law enforcement and the general public and had indicated he would not stop for officers and might crash his vehicle.
Rust was spotted traveling northbound on Hwy. 53 north of Duluth. Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, deploying spike strips, but Rust continued to flee at high speed.
The pursuit came to a head as Rust approached a construction zone on the south side of Eveleth, where he crashed through barricades and struck a St. Louis County squad car, partially head-on and on the passenger side. A second squad car quickly moved in to pin Rust’s vehicle, bringing the chase to an end.
Rust was taken into custody at the scene. He was transported to Essentia Health in Virginia as a precaution, medically cleared, and then booked into the St. Louis County Jail in Virginia.
Two county squad cars and Rust’s vehicle sustained minor damage. One deputy suffered a minor injury in the collision but did not require medical attention at the time.
According to the release from the sheriff’s office, Rust is facing numerous charges in St. Louis County, including second-degree assault, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, fourth-degree assault, driving after revocation, failure to wear a seatbelt, and littering. Additional charges are expected out of Isanti County.