A man was seriously injured after he was assaulted with a weapon early Saturday at the Lakes Area Inn Hotel in Starbuck. The suspect in the assault stole two vehicles and fled through several counties before he was arrested.

According to a news release from the Starbuck Police Department, the victim of the assault was taken to Glacial Ridge Hospital and then airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center where he remains hospitalized. There was no further information provided about the victim, his injuries or the weapon used in the assault.

The suspect, a 41-year-old man from Columbia Heights, fled on foot before law enforcement arrived at about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday. Officers searched for the suspect for several hours in the city of Starbuck. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) agents and the Crime Lab were called to assist with the criminal investigation, the news release stated.  During the search, the Pope County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a stolen vehicle just outside Starbuck on South Shore Drive.  

The suspect then drove the white Chevrolet truck pulling a boat trailer into Grant County. He abandoned the truck in a Grant County cornfield and stole another vehicle in the city of Elbow Lake. A witness saw him steal that vehicle and followed it until law enforcement arrived.

The suspect fled from law enforcement in the vehicle and was later apprehended by the Ottertail County Sheriff’s Office and is in the Ottertail County Jail.

He is awaiting a court appearance on charges of first-degree assault, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and two counts of motor vehicle theft.

Agencies that also responded to the incident included Glenwood Police Department, Pope County Sheriff’s Office, Glacial Ridge Ambulance, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, Ottertail County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol.