Two Dead After Allegedly Stealing Lyft Car in St. Cloud

ST. CLOUD -- Two men are dead after police say they stole a car from their Lyft driver and sped away from the scene Tuesday morning.

The Sherburne County Sheriff's Office says the incident started in St. Cloud around 1:15 a.m. Officers met a 46-year-old man from St. Cloud who was walking near Minnesota Blvd and 20th Avenue Southeast after his vehicle was stolen. He was working as a Lyft driver at the time of the incident.

Authorities say the victim picked up two men in the 600 block of Lincoln Avenue Southeast, driving around for a short time, eventually ending up in the 2300 block of Minnesota Boulevard Southeast. When in that area, authorities say one of the two men reached up over the seat, grabbing the steering wheel. The driver pulled over, at which point the suspect grabbed him again, and threatened to kill him.

The driver got out of the car and was chased by one of the two passengers for a short while before they stole his car. A Sherburne County Deputy, parked along County Road 8 clocked the vehicle at 112 mph as it drove by him. The deputy tried to catch up to the car, however, eventually found wreckage near the intersection of County Road 8 and 38th Avenue.

One of the occupants was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. The other was brought to St. Cloud Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. Authorities believe the two dead men are the ones who stole the vehicle from the Lyft driver.

Their names have not been released, the investigation is ongoing.