After the suspect’s Buick and hat were found about 3 miles from his Green Isle, Minnesota, home Sunday morning, as many as 200 law enforcement personnel descended on the area as he eluded them for more than 10 hours, authorities said.
It wasn’t clear whether Boelter was even in the area on the eastern edge of Sibley County, they said earlier Sunday evening. But on Sunday night, law enforcement got a tip of a sighting and descended on the location in the county and quickly found and took him into custody, authorities working on the case said at Sunday night’s news conference.
A police officer had reported seeing someone running into woods, Evans said, and law enforcement officers, SWAT teams and a state helicopter located him, called out for his surrender and captured him after he crawled toward them in a field Sunday night, Evans said.
Searchers were challenged by the terrain, he said, but never let up.
“This is in a rural area,” Evans said. “It’s streams, fields, woods, crops.”
Boelter was arrested peacefully and taken to an undisclosed facility where he was being interviewed by detectives, Evans said.
Boelter was armed, Evans said, but authorities were not saying exactly with what as the investigation into a possible motive was ongoing.