Car chase tears across Minnesota golf course

Rick Dauner, superintendent at Village Green Golf Course in Moorhead, Minn., probably never thought he would get a phone call like the one he received Tuesday night. While at his daughter’s softball game, a worker at the course pro shop called to let him know that a pickup truck and three police cars had just sped across the course.

Three police cars and a helicopter chased this pickup truck across Village Green GC Tuesday. Image via CNN.

“Evidently there was an individual with a warrant out for his arrest… and he decided to take off across the golf course to evade them,” Dauner says. The car chase through the golf course was seen by many as the cars darted down fairways, around ponds and over a green. All the while, a helicopter hovered overhead tracking the suspect.

When thinking about the aftermath, Dauner says it could have been worse. “It was a busy night,” Dauner says. “There were anywhere from 150 people on the course.” Along with the people on the course, Dauner was relieved that none of the homeowners around the course were harmed. The suspect wove in-between the homes and the course, attempting to evade the police.

According to Dauner, the chase ended in a shopping center in Fargo where the suspect was apprehended.

Today, Dauner is assessing the damages. Looking at it in the morning light, he once again says it could have been worse. “Surprisingly not much damage,” Dauner says. “There are mainly just tire depressions and skid marks.” One prominent set of skid marks were caused when the driver first got onto the course, going “pretty fast” and hit the breaks to avoid a pond. Dauner’s current guess at damages are under $1,000.

In all, the chase traversed six holes on Village Green GC and the driving range. As the turf heals from the damages and the skid marks fade, the memory of the cinematic night will stick with all involved. With a slight chuckle, Dauner simply says: “I will remember this one.”

Watch the car chase here via CNN.