Hastings Man Charged After Allegedly Fleeing Police During Early-Morning Traffic Stop
Published: August 1st, 2026.
HASTINGS: A Hastings man is facing a felony charge after prosecutors allege he fled from a Hastings police officer during an attempted traffic stop before running into a residence, according to a criminal complaint filed in Dakota County.
Brady Paul Dankers has been charged with one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, a felony under Minnesota Statute 609.487.3.
According to the criminal complaint, at approximately 4:56 a.m. on July 29, 2026, a Hastings police officer was at the intersection of 25th Street and Vermillion Street when he observed a vehicle he recognized as one commonly driven by Dankers.
The complaint states the officer turned his squad around to follow the vehicle, but by the time he did, the vehicle had already created a significant distance, leading the officer to believe it was traveling at a high rate of speed. Radar allegedly showed the vehicle traveling 58 mph in a 45 mph zone.
According to the probable cause statement, the officer activated his emergency lights, but the vehicle continued driving at a high rate of speed instead of stopping. The vehicle allegedly turned eastbound onto 36th Street, then south onto Tiffany Drive, where prosecutors say Dankers lived.
The complaint alleges the vehicle pulled into a driveway with an open garage door. The officer reported seeing an individual inside the garage before the driver exited the vehicle, ran into the garage, and entered the home with the other individual.
According to the complaint, Dankers later exited the residence and immediately denied being the driver of the vehicle.
However, the officer reported noticing Dankers was wearing distinctive stockings. After reviewing squad camera footage, the officer allegedly observed that the person who fled from the driver's seat of the vehicle was wearing the same distinctive stockings, according to the complaint.
Dankers is charged with one felony count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. The charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of three years and one day in prison and/or a fine of up to $5,000, if convicted.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint are accusations, and Dankers is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.