One Dead Following Police Pursuit in Cambridge

From the Cambridge Police Department:

On August 20th, 2022 at approximately 11:37pm, an officer from the Cambridge Police Department was patrolling the City Park, located at 810 2nd Avenue SW in Cambridge. As he approached the parking lot, he saw a vehicle leaving the park after being there after hours. The officer ran the license plate and learned that the registered owner of the vehicle had a canceled driver’s license. The officer initiated a traffic stop and the suspect vehicle came to a stop at 2nd Ave SW & Fern St S. As the officer approached the vehicle, the driver sped away.

The pursuit began at 11:38 pm. The suspect rapidly accelerated south on Fern St S and the officer lost sight of the vehicle as it rounded the corner by Cambridge Medical Center; the officer terminated the pursuit at 11:39 pm. The officer radioed to Dispatch that he had terminated the pursuit.

As the officer was driving south on Dellwood St S, he came upon the suspect vehicle that had crashed into a tree at the corner of Dellwood St S and 11th Ave SW. The vehicle had major front-end damage and had visible flames showing. It was then learned that there was also a passenger in the vehicle and both needed extrication. Cambridge Fire Department performed the extrication and the unconscious male passenger was transported to Cambridge Medical Center and then later transferred to HCMC by helicopter where he remains in serious but stable condition. The female driver of the vehicle was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The identity of the decedent has been confirmed by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office as Heather Marie Dahlberg, age 46, of Cambridge.

The Minnesota State Patrol Crash Reconstruction Team responded to the scene to investigate the crash.

Assisting the Cambridge Police Department on this incident was the Isanti County Sheriff’s Office, Isanti Police Department, Cambridge Fire Department, Allina Medical Transportation, and the Minnesota State Patrol.