Man and woman killed after multi-county high speed police pursuit leads to car crash and shots being fired in Hennepin County.

A man and a woman are dead after a high-speed chase that began in Carver County and ended in Eden Prairie early Friday ended with shots being fired, the Minnesota State Patrol said.

The series of dramatic events during the morning rush hour led to the closing of a long stretch of Hwy. 212, a traffic-tangling situation that may continue into the evening commute.

Around 7:30 a.m., authorities got a report that a red Saab was speeding and veering erratically on eastbound Hwy. 212 in far eastern Carver County, authorities said. The Saab then rear-ended another vehicle at 212 and County Road 43, then fled the scene with its front hood up.

The ensuing pursuit, which involved the State Patrol, Carver County sheriff’s deputies and Chaska police, reached speeds of 80 to 90 miles or more per hour, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Officers further down the road placed stop sticks on the highway just east of Audubon Road. The sticks punctured at least two of the Saab’s tires.

The driver then lost control and crashed into a noise wall between Hwy. 101 and Dell Road. The driver and another person — a man and a woman — emerged from the Saab, the BCA said.

A struggle ensued and shots were fired, but the BCA declined to say more about what happened in those moments.

At 10:30 a.m., State Patrol spokesman Lt. Eric Roeske confirmed that two people were dead. No officers were hit, he said.

A State Patrol trooper, two Chaska police officers and a Carver County sheriff’s deputy have been placed on standard administrative leave as the shootings are investigated. The BCA is spearheading the investigation.

The bodies of the victims, whose identities have not been released, were taken to the Hennepin County medical examiner’s office for autopsies.

The driver of the vehicle involved in the earlier rear-end crash at Highway 212 and County Road 43 was taken to Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia for treatment of noncritical injuries, authorities said.