Bride's father flees from police, dies in crash

BROOKLYN CENTER (AP) -- A man who left his daughter's wedding reception after refusing to surrender his car keys died in a crash as he fled from police.

Guests at the reception tried to get Charles Kaiser, 48, of New Hope, to give up his car keys because they were concerned about his drinking. When they were unable to get the keys, they asked police to help.

Kaiser led police on a short chase. He went the wrong way on a freeway entrance ramp and used his sport-utility vehicle to ram a squad car before he lost control of the SUV, flipped it and slid down an embankment.

Officers and paramedics administered first aid, but Kaiser died of blunt force injuries about a half-hour later at North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

Brooklyn Center Police Chief Joel Downer defended the officers' decision to pursue Kaiser. He said friends told them that he had been drinking; the road and weather conditions were good; there wasn't much traffic, and Kaiser's erratic and desperate attempts to flee officers put others at risk.

The accident remains under investigation by the State Patrol and the chase will be reviewed to determine if the officers followed proper procedures, Downer said.