Sam Dutcher had just finished running errands when the 18-year-old’s Honda Pilot suddenly began to accelerate, even though his foot wasn’t on the gas pedal. The brake wouldn’t work, he couldn’t shift into neutral, and before long, the runaway SUV was speeding into the western Minnesota countryside with no way to stop.

“I had the brake to the floor,” Dutcher said Thursday, but the SUV kept going faster and faster, eventually reaching 120 mph (193 kpm).

A last-ditch plan averted disaster that September evening — a trooper sped in front of the Honda and Dutcher was told to crash into the rear of his squad car, allowing it to ease safely to a stop moments before reaching a dangerous intersection.

“That was really all I could think of that was going to get him stopped in time,” Minnesota Trooper Zach Gruver said. “We kind of just ran out of time and distance. I really didn’t know of any other way.”

Dutcher, who graduated high school in May and is studying auto mechanics, was driving to the family home near West Fargo, North Dakota, around 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 17 when he realized something was wrong.

“I went to take my foot off the accelerator,” Dutcher recalled. “It wouldn’t slow down.” As the SUV gained speed, Dutcher had two options: Stay on a two-lane road and drive into Minnesota, or hop onto the interstate. Figuring traffic would be lighter, he chose the road less traveled.

Dutcher tried using voice command on his phone to call 911, but it didn’t work. So he called his mom.

Catherine Dutcher was in the drive-thru line at Hardee’s. In her 911 call, she mentioned that the Honda had just been in the shop because the accelerator was apparently getting stuck. Authorities suspect that the SUV’s computer malfunctioned.

The family should take the vehicle in to a dealership for an inspection, a Honda spokeswoman told The Associated Press. The company could not comment further until an inspection was done, she said.

As the Honda sped into Minnesota, Clay County Deputy Zach Johnson reached Dutcher by phone. Dash camera video shows Johnson talking Dutcher through possible solutions. Nothing worked.

Meanwhile, all Catherine Dutcher could do was worry. When she called 911 for an update, she broke.

“They said they’ve got several officers going to him as well as medical,” she recalled. “At that point I kind of lost it because I just imagined him being either seriously injured or dead. I didn’t know how they were going to stop a car that was going that speed.”

Gruver heard what was going on through his radio. His Dodge Charger eventually caught up with the Honda as it was approaching the town of Hitterdal, Minnesota, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from where the problem began.

Only about 200 people live in Hitterdal, but the highway runs through an area with a couple of stop signs, a railroad crossing and an intersection with another highway.

Gruver raced ahead to keep traffic at bay. His dashcam video showed the Honda zipping quickly past him through town. Dutcher said the SUV was going about 120 mph (193 kph).

Soon, another worry: Johnson warned Gruver that the highway ended at a T-intersection about four miles (6.4 kilometers) away — a two-minute drive at racing speed.

Law enforcement came up with a plan on the fly: Dutcher should drive into the back of Gruver’s squad car as both vehicles were moving.

“Yes, run into the back of his car,” Johnson urged Dutcher in a conversation captured on dashcam video.

The 2022 Honda’s crash mitigation system kicked in at the point of impact, helping ease the collision, Gruver said. The Honda was going about 50 mph (80 kph) when it struck the trooper’s vehicle. From there, Gruver was able to gradually slow to a stop.

Gruver, a married 30-year-old expecting his first baby, was impressed by the young driver who was able to navigate a runaway vehicle at unimaginable speeds.

“Sam did great,” said Gruver, who has been a trooper for over three years. “I don’t think there’s a whole lot of people that could deal with that pressure.”

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Stillwater Ponies sophomore football coach Matt Hemenway rushed to the side of player Keegan Hawke after hearing him say, “Coach, coach coach,” before falling to the ground.

“He just kind of crumpled in front of me and scared the heck out of all of us,” Hemenway said.

Keegan Hawke, a sophomore at Stillwater High School, suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during football practice Sept. 24, 2024, and was saved by coaches, teammates and first responders. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

Hawke joined the football team in August, after last playing the sport in eighth grade. Coaches said Hawke had a lot to learn, but is a hard worker.

That day, Sept. 24, Hawke suffered a sudden cardiac arrest during a noncontact drill led by Hemenway. It later was determined to be linked to Torsades de Pointes, a type of heart rhythm disorder, according to a Caringbridge post by Hawke’s father.

“He was really making some progress towards becoming a very good football player,” head sophomore coach Paul Wieland said. “It was fun to watch him grow.”

Hemenway said when he and other coaches responded to Hawke, he was unresponsive.

“Everything was kind of a blur after that,” Hemenway said.

Coaches asked a student to call the school’s two certified athletic trainers, who arrived in a matter of minutes, Hemenway and Wieland said. Trainers then put an automated external defibrillator (AED) on Hawke, which did not spark right away.

After the trainers administering CPR, they tried the AED again and it did its job, restarting Hawke’s heart, according to Hemenway.

“By the time EMTs and everybody got there, Keegan was breathing on his own and had a pulse when he left,” Wieland said.

Recovering in hospital

Hawke was first taken to Regions Hospital then to Gillette Children’s, where he was in a medically induced coma for 72 hours, according to coaches.

Hawke’s father said on Caringbridge that without the fast response of coaches, trainers, teammates and medical personnel, Hawke would not be alive.

“Our trainers did a phenomenal job, they knew exactly what they were doing to get Keegan’s heart started again,” Hemenway said.

After hearing Hawke had regained consciousness, Hemenway said he texted him, “We love you, we’re so happy you’re with us, let us know if there’s anything we can do for you,” to which Hawke responded, “Thanks Coach.”

Wieland said he’s spoken to Hawke’s parents and that the coaches want to visit him when they’re able.

“We hope to see him soon,” Wieland said. “Next week we have our team dinner, and hopefully he’ll be released and get to join us for the team dinner and on the sidelines for our final game.”

The coaches said players took a knee on the field during the incident and some prayed together.

Raising money for CPR training

According to a GoFundMe page, Hawke and his family are trying to raise money both to support Hawke’s medical expenses and to provide training to coaches and staff in the St. Croix River Valley.

“I’m glad for it, I think that’s a good use of the resources that the Hawkes are raising,” Wieland said.

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Wieland and Hemenway said they are both CPR certified, but as time has passed, neither is up-to-date on current training. Hemenway said with more regular CPR training, coaches likely would have been even faster to react than they were.

“I can’t even imagine if this would have happened 15, 20 years ago. We would have had no access to an AED or no idea really what to do with them,” Hemenway said.

Wieland said that he’s thankful the right people were positioned at the time of the incident.

“This is a story where systems worked,” Wieland said. “It’s really kind of a blessing that whatever happened with Keegan’s heart happened at football practice with alert adults and a training staff.”

Julius Randle was asked early in Thursday’s introductory press conference if he needed to change his game to fit into Minnesota’s roster and coach Chris Finch’s schemes.

“Well I played for Finch before, I played for him in New Orleans,” Randle quickly responded. “So all you gotta do is go look at the tape, and you’ll see.”

Indeed, Randle spent the 2018-19 campaign in New Orleans when Finch was an assistant coach with the Pelicans. That year was one of the all-star’s most efficient seasons. His scoring average bumped up to 21.4 points, five points better than any prior season to that point. He recorded the highest player efficiency rating of his career, and it was his second-best season in terms of offensive win shares and true shooting percentage.

That’s somewhat surprising considering he was just 24 years old at the time and has since turned in three all-star seasons in New York.

That was a tumultuous season in many ways for the Pelicans, as Anthony Davis requested a trade in the middle of the campaign. Still, New Orleans finished 12th in offensive rating.

Randle signed with the Knicks in the following offseason, cashing in on his success in New Orleans. But he noted Thursday he wished Finch could have gone with him to New York.

“Because he’s just such a great coach. I’ve always thought he was a genius,” Randle said. “He’s a great communicator, knows how to get the best out of his players,”

Randle said he always felt “super prepared” for games that season. He knew what was going to happen, where he would get his shots and what Finch needed from him. Randle said that season with Finch “opened up my game,” and he became the versatile offensive player he is today. Randle said it marked “the easiest my game had ever felt.”

“I think he’s just that good of a coach,” Randle said. “So I’m excited to get out there with him. I know he’s going to bring the best not only out of me, but out of everybody.”

The feeling between coach and player is mutual. Finch said Randle was a “joy to coach” in their prior experience together.

“Really, really enjoyed working with him. Great pro. Loves being in the gym, comes in with a smile on his face every day,” Finch said. “He’s hungry for feedback. Really pleasant. Always kept an eye on him, just really happy for his success in New York. … I was really excited (for) the opportunity to be reunited with him, just because of that connection.”

That connection could ease the transition that needs to take place with the Timberwolves. Minnesota has its first preseason game against the Lakers on Friday in Los Angeles, though the Wolves are unsure if the newcomers will play in that one. But film from Randle’s season in New Orleans suggests he has a grasp of the randomness Finch seeks in his offense, with cuts and pick-and-rolls naturally evolving throughout a play.

“A lot of the things that we did in New Orleans still hold true in our offense here,” Finch said. “I think he’s looking forward to that.”

It produced some of Randle’s most efficient basketball. If that result can be replicated in Minnesota, the Wolves will be a better team post-trade than they were before it. The addition of Donte DiVincenzo was an obvious boon for the team’s wing depth and spacing. Finch noted the guard is “plug and play.” He will make the game easier for everyone else within the offense.

And Randle, Finch noted, generally posts eerily similar production-based numbers as Karl-Anthony Towns, the four-time all-star sent to the Knicks for Randle, DiVincenzo and Keita Bates-Diop. The concern outsiders have regarding his fit in Minnesota is he’s not as good of an outside shooter as Towns and tends to overhold the ball.

“I think KAT and Ant (Anthony Edwards) liked having the ball in their hands a lot, too,” Finch said. “I don’t see a ton of difference there.”

Finch said he doesn’t see any issues with Randle’s general fit alongside Edwards or even Rudy Gobert. Yes, he noted, there will be a growing curve as everyone learns to play together.

But any issues that may arise are more likely to be ironed out quickly because of the respect Randle possesses for Finch.

“I have the ultimate and utmost trust in Finch.,” Randle said. “I feel like he knows what he’s doing and he’ll be able to work out whatever, so I’m excited.”

The 29-year-old has a player option for next season and noted that because of what he feels Minnesota has in place, this is where he wants to be.

“You spend a certain amount of time in a place, New York, going there five years ago, having a goal in mind to accomplish a lot of great things and a lot of blood, sweat and tears put into that organization and uniform. Initially, it’s always going to be a shock,” he said. “For me, afterwards I woke up the next morning and I was just really, really excited. It was a breath of fresh air. I’m excited to bring everything I learned there over the past five years and help these guys out. My only thing here is I just want to help. I want to help Ant, I want to help Rudy, Naz (Reid),  all these guys, I want to help win a championship. So that’s the only thing that matters.

“At this point in my career, I’ve accomplished a lot of great things on an individual level, but I want to win a championship, and this is a perfect opportunity to do that. That’s what matters. Winning matters the most.”

With training camp winding down, Wild coach John Hynes said his team still has much to do before the regular season begins Thursday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center.

“It starts with the game tomorrow,” Hynes said. “It starts with going on the road against a full NHL lineup, against a team that you just beat.”

In other words, Friday night’s final preseason game in Chicago is not perfunctory.

“It’s going to be a competitive game on the road,” Hynes said. “That’s another test for us.”

The Wild didn’t release their lineup for the 7:30 p.m. puck drop at United Center, but it will be similar to the regular-heavy roster that beat the Blackhawks 7-2 on Tuesday.

Hynes said Matt Boldy, recovering from a lower body injury, will not travel to Chicago, nor will Jake Middleton, who has been practicing despite an upper body injury. Otherwise, there will be a lot of NHL regulars in the lineups for both teams, including Calder Trophy winner Connor Bedard for Chicago and the runner-up, Wild defenseman Brock Faber.

Forwards Liam Ohgren and Ben Jones likely will be in the Wild lineup, as well. Ohgren is trying to earn a spot on the NHL roster out of camp after making his NHL debut with the Wild last spring. Jones is the last of the depth veterans signed in July still in camp.

The deadline for NHL teams to finalize the 23-man rosters for their openers is 4 p.m. Central Time on Monday.

Asked if he was hesitant to play regulars in the final preseason game, Hynes said, “It’s always a consideration.”

“But when you look at it, too, when you’re in training camp practices, we still have to practice. We still have to battle,” the coach added. “Players have the Players Association. Ultimately, you have to do what is best to try to get players ready to play. We don’t play for a while after that.

“I know that (Chicago is) dressing a very strong lineup, so I think it’s a good test for all our guys and we have to prepare the right way.”

Boldy says he’s ready

Boldy went through his second full practice since returning from a lower body injury for Tuesday’s morning skate and said he’ll be ready for the season opener next week.

“It sucks, it’s part of the game, (but) I feel good,” he said. “Every day it feels better.”

Hynes said he expects Boldy and Middleton to be ready for Thursday’s opener.

“It’s nice to be with the guys again, just mentally being with them, going through reps that are a little bit more line-related, and more situation-related, helps,” Boldy said.

Friday’s game will be televised by Bally Sports North.

Briefly

All of the players the Wild placed on waivers this week have cleared and were expected to report to Iowa training camp in Des Moines. … Graeme Clarke, acquired in a trade this summer, is out 4-6 weeks after blocking a shot with his right leg on Tuesday. He will rehab in St. Paul before reporting to Iowa.