By Tad Vezner
tvezner@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 08/11/2010 12:17:59 AM CDT

Four police cars, lights on and sirens blaring, chased a man in a go-cart at top speeds of 20 mph through downtown St. Paul on Tuesday evening.

Police finally boxed him into a parking lot, chased him around some more and then shocked him twice with a stun gun before his go-cart came to a stop.

The man refused to speak to officers or give his identity. He was booked into the Ramsey County Jail under the name John Doe, his age unknown.

The chase began about 5:50 p.m. near 12th and Jackson streets. A police officer in a squad car saw the man driving what appeared to be a homemade go-cart with a lawnmower-size engine on the back, southbound on Jackson.

The officer quickly determined the vehicle was not legal for street driving.

The officer turned on his lights and siren and pulled behind the go-cart. The driver looked back but turned around and kept driving, police said.

The officer then pulled next to the go-cart and yelled at the man to stop but was ignored. In the meantime, three more squad cars joined the chase, which led all the way to the south end of Jackson, then east onto Kellogg Boulevard.

The four squad cars were able to force the go-cart into a parking lot near the main post office. But once there, the man continued to weave around and try to escape, once hitting his neck on a low-hanging chain bordering the lot. He kept his seat and continued driving.

Finally, one officer got out of his car, ran up to the man and yelled at him to stop. Still the man refused, police said.

The officer pulled out a Taser and fired, connecting and shocking the driver. The man let go of his steering wheel and began to slow, but the shock abated and the man again grabbed hold of the steering wheel and tried to regain control.

The officer shocked him again. The second Taser shock ended, and the go-cart slowed and stopped. Officers pulled the driver out of his seat and attempted to subdue him, but he fought with them, and they Tased him a third time.

The man was booked on suspicion of fleeing police in a motor vehicle.

Tad Vezner can be reached at 651-228-5461.

http://www.twincities.com/ci_15737695