LAKEVILLE, Minn. -- Police arrested a father early Thursday after a family member found him in a Lakeville garage apparently trying to kill himself and his two young children by carbon monoxide poisoning.
Jay Anthony Ernst, 27, was arrested by Burnsville police after an Amber Alert was issued shortly before 4:30 a.m. His two children, boys ages 2 and 4, were in a vehicle with him at the time of the arrest and they appeared to be unharmed, according to the Lakeville Police Department.
A family member notified police after allegedly interrupting what police called a suicide attempt. The family member found Ernst and the two children in a running car in a closed garage. A hose was connected to the exhaust pipe, routing the exhaust inside the vehicle, according to police.
“The initial investigation determined that the subject of the call had made suicidal statements to family members in recent days,” Lakeville police said in a news release.
Before officers arrived, Ernst fled with the two children. He was arrested when police pulled him over a short time later.
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Potential charges against Ernst include attempted homicide, according to the Lakeville police.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press is a news partner with Forum News Service
