$50K Bail For Man Arrested After Chase & Standoff in Austin

Austin, MN (KROC-AM News) - The man was arrested Monday morning after a 10 hour long standoff in Austin was arraigned today on a list of charges.

Austin police reported that 47-year-old Kristofar Luiken had a 7-year-old child with him in his vehicle as he led law enforcement officers on a chase from Owatonna to Austin Sunday night. According to the criminal complaint, the pursuit began around 10:30 PM after Luiken allegedly sped away after crashing into a police vehicle in Owatonna.

READ MORE: Young Child Safe After Police Chase and Stand-Off in Austin

The court document says the State Patrol became involved and deployed stop sticks which flattened the tires on his vehicle as he was entering Austin on Highway 218. The pursuit ended and the standoff got underway when Luiken parked his vehicle in the driveway of his mother's home in Austin.

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The charges state that, along with his young daughter, Luiken had several large knives in the center console of the vehicle, a hatchet in the front seat area, and a full can of gasoline on the front passenger seat. It is alleged that Luiken told an officer that he had "gas" in the vehicle and the officers at the scene would regret approaching his vehicle.

After lengthy negotiations, Luiken surrendered peacefully around 9 AM on Monday and his daughter was placed with family members. The criminal complaint indicates Luiken lives in West Virginia but also describes him as homeless.

He is charged with felony counts of child endangerment, interfering with a police officer, and the threats of violence. A gross misdemeanor charge of false imprisonment is also included in the complaint.

Conditional bail for Luiken was set at $50,000 during Wednesday's court appearance.

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