On May 18, a tragic three-car collision occurred, resulting in the death of Olivia Flores, 18 years old, and injuries to five other individuals. Shane Roper, a Minnesota state trooper, now faces multiple felony charges for his alleged involvement in causing the accident.
A passenger also accompanied Roper during his patrol in the police cruiser.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Ostrem, Roper observed a minor traffic offense around 5:40 p.m. and proceeded to drive south on Highway 52 with the patrol car’s emergency lights on, reaching a speed of 98 mph.
According to Ostrem, Roper switched off the emergency lights as he pursued the driver he suspected of violating traffic laws and followed him onto 12th Street SW.
As Roper approached the exit, they briefly slowed down before abruptly accelerating to a staggering 83 mph in a 40 mph zone. According to Ostrem, they gave the car “full throttle” as they approached the intersection with Apache Drive SW.
According to Ostrem, the intersection serves as the main entrance for the Apache Mall and experiences high traffic volume during the late afternoon and early evening hours.
It can be difficult to spot incoming vehicles due to the design of the road.
According to Ostrem, the left turn of an SUV at the intersection obstructed Roper’s view of the vehicles in the left-turn lane.
As the Ford Focus attempted to make a left turn, Roper was caught speeding at 83 mph. The car was carrying three individuals at the time of the incident.
As the Ford collided with another vehicle, Flores, who was seated in the back, suffered fatal injuries from the impact’s blunt-force trauma.
According to Ostrem, the accident caused physical pain for both individuals in the RAV4.
The passenger who was riding along with Roper in his patrol car sustained several fractures and bruised ribs.
Weeks later, Roper informed the accident investigators that he was attempting to approach the suspected traffic violator, but he clarified that he was not engaged in a traffic pursuit.
In regards to his driving speed and the emergency lights, he stated that he was unaware of how fast he was going and believed that the emergency lights were activated.
Authorities discovered that Roper was responsible for four other car accidents resulting from reckless driving or driving at excessive speeds. In one instance, he was driving at a staggering 135 mph in a 55 mph zone without using the emergency lights on his cruiser. It was determined that his inattentiveness and disregard for traffic laws caused these accidents.
According to Ostrem, Roper was driving at a speed of 99 mph in the three hours leading up to the fatal crash on May 18th. He was attempting to pull over vehicles for minor moving violations during this time.
As per the labor contract with state troopers, Roper is currently on paid leave despite facing multiple felony charges.
