Wayzata Resident Tells Harrowing Tale Of Manhunt Suspect In His Home, Family Dog Helps Police Arrest Suspect

Investigators were on a manhunt in Wayzata’s Holdridge neighborhood Tuesday morning.

Photo courtesy Bruce Biser

According to the homeowner, Eric Olness, the suspect was wanted for a car theft. The suspect was taken into custody along the 1700 block of Crosby Road.

What happened before the arrest was something out of a movie.

It started around 9 a.m. when Minnetonka Police were involved in a short pursuit that ended in the suspect fleeing a reported stolen vehicle.  

Police agencies from several jurisdictions were involved in setting up a perimeter and searching for the suspect.  

Much of the activity took place in the Crosby Rd./Holdridge Rd. area near the Wayzata and Minnetonka border. 

Olness recapped the harrowing ordeal exclusively with Wayzata.com.

“I was on a conference call this morning,” said Olness.

“At around 9:15 a.m., the police came to my door to alert us that that there was a perp on the loose who had stolen and crashed a vehicle on Ringer Road and was on the loose and dangerous.”

“They asked us to stay inside and lock all doors.”

Olness boys

His sons were already in the loop.

“My boys had already heard the news via text and stated that the basement doors were locked.”

“We observed the police from several areas including the Sheriff’s Department comb the area and scour through my back yard with the K9 unit looking for the missing person.”

Little did they know that their canine, a 110-pound, 16-month-old Bernese mountain dog named Monty, would play a major role.

“While observing the action from our back window my boys and I hear the chime which goes off whenever an exterior door is opened or shut.”

“I went around the first floor checking the doors and determined that they were all locked.”

Meanwhile, investigators were combing the neighborhood.

“Law enforcement wasn’t leaving the area which told me that the person of interest was close so I went out the deck door to check the basement door from the outside to make sure it was locked.”

“It in fact was so I went back inside.”

“About 5-7 minutes passed with the authorities still not leaving my back yard and I got a weird feeling that I needed to check the basement from the inside and enter the furnace room where we do have an exterior door.”

Monty

“I went down with my dog Monty and my two teenage boys trailing behind.”

Moments later, Olness realized the suspect was inside.

“Reaching the end of the hallway I opened the door into the furnace room to observe the perpetrator standing inside the door to the outside and as soon as our eyes met, Monty charged through the opened door and chased the man who opened the door to the exterior and began to run.”

“He ran out and up a path on the side of our house and darted into the woods with Monty on his heels.”

“We yelled for the police that we had found the fugitive and they charged up the hill in back of the house.”

Investigators quickly closed in on the suspect.

“By the time they got up to where the assailant had run off into the woods we could hear him yelling for help.”

“We couldn’t see him as the woods was pretty thick but he was crying out for help and law enforcement entered the woods weapons drawn.”

Despite being a hero, Monty returned in a nonchalant fashion.

“I yelled for Monty to come out and he trotted out covered in burrs but otherwise no worse for the wear.  The police apprehended the culprit and called for an ambulance as he apparently had injured his ankle during his flight.”

“The rest is history, but Monty will be getting a big juicy steak for dinner this evening!”

Good dog, Monty.