Man leads Minnesota State Patrol on high speed chase, thought he was running from ICE

Brandon Choo Atam

(St. Louis County Jail)

DULUTH, Minn. — A Washington, D.C.-area man is accused of leading law enforcement on a 100+ mile per hour chase in Northern Minnesota.  He claimed he did it because he believed a Minnesota State Patrol trooper was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent.

Charging documents say on January 31, 2026, at approximately 9:20 a.m. a Minnesota State Patrol trooper saw a vehicle driving 108-miles per hour on US53;  It was a 65 miles-per-hour zone.  The trooper caught up to the vehicle at a gas station in Cook.  The trooper said they approached the driver, who turned out to be 27-year-old Brandon Choo Atam of Bowie, Maryland.

The trooper says they talked to Atam in English, but Atam, at times, would speak in another language and was “uncooperative”.  The language was not identified in court documents.

The officer called for back-up and told Atam not to leave the area.  Atam then got back into his vehicle and sped away at more than 100 miles-per-hour.

The trooper and a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer who responded to assist were able to catch up to Atam in about 15 miles.  They were able to “box in” Atam’s vehicle with their vehicles and stopped the chase.

Atam was then arrested.  The court documents say that upon questioning, Atam said he believed the Minnesota State Patrol trooper was a member of  Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  Atam said he did not want to stop for an ICE officer.

Atam is slated to make his first appearance in court on February 9 2026.

He’s facing a charge of felony fleeing a Peace Officer in a Motor Vehicle, plus misdemeanor charges of driving without a valid license and speeding.