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MPR News Staff

Prosecutors: Drug deal triggered Anoka Co. store shooting, chase

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Updated: 7:45 p.m. | Posted: 2:41 p.m.

Anoka County authorities on Monday charged Castle Rogers Ahlbeck on suspicion of shooting a man in East Bethel then leading police on a harrowing car chase last week that ended when an officer shot and wounded Ahlbeck.

Ahlbeck, 24, of Brooklyn Park faces charges including first-degree assault of an officer, second-degree assault, possession of a firearm by an ineligible person and fleeing police in a motor vehicle. The initial convenience shooting in East Bethel was apparently a drug deal gone back, according to charging documents filed by the Anoka County Attorney's Office.

Authorities were initially called to the store and found a victim with a leg wound who said the shooter left in a black Audi.

Once spotted on the road, prosecutors allege Ahlbeck ignited a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph and became increasingly dangerous with the suspect allegedly swerving at squad cars and at officers attempting to deploy stop sticks.

The chase ended when a Coon Rapids police officer disabled the speeding car and Ahlbeck was shot and wounded by a Coon Rapids officer following a foot chase in an Anoka neighborhood along U.S. Highway 10. Authorities last week said the officer fired because police believed Ahlbeck had a gun in his hand, although no gun was recovered at the scene.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the officer as Bryan Platz, a 15-year veteran of the Coon Rapids Police Department. The release Tuesday said Platz is on standard leave.

Both Ahlbeck and the store victim survived. According to the charging documents, authorities searching the Audi "located a large amount of suspected methamphetamine."

The officer-involved shooting of Ahlbeck remains under investigation by the BCA.

Ahlbeck's bail was set at $700,000. His next scheduled hearing is Dec. 19.

"This was an extremely dangerous situation to both the public and to law enforcement," Anoka County Attorney Tony Palumbo said in a statement.