A man is charged in a St. Paul carjacking, accused of stealing a vehicle and making a woman drive to flee from police.

Officers responded to Rose Avenue west of White Bear Avenue on Sunday afternoon on a report of a carjacking. A 34-year-old man reported that he picked up a friend and two other men were with her — he knew one as Rico and the other as Mouse.

Police identified Rico as Joesiah Ramon Wakon, 21, of St. Paul, according to a criminal complaint filed against him this week.

The 34-year-old’s friend later said that his driving had been erratic when he picked her up and she convinced him to let her drive the Toyota Tundra, which is his father’s vehicle.

Mouse pulled a handgun and said something like, “Don’t move — I’ll kill you. Empty out your pockets” and held the gun to the back of the man’s head. The man gave Mouse his wallet and phone, and exited the Tundra.

Mouse pointed the gun at the woman and yelled at her to drive away in the Tundra. Officers searching the area saw the vehicle and tried to pull it over at Arcade and East Seventh streets.

The Tundra stopped briefly near Margaret Street and a woman got out of the backseat. She later told police that the other woman, who was being forced to drive the truck, was giving her a ride when the robbery happened.

Meanwhile, Mouse and Waukon told the driver not to stop for police, the complaint said. Waukon got into the driver’s seat and kept going. They let Mouse out along the way.

The woman with Waukon told him to stop for officers, but he said, “I can’t — I’m not going to jail,” according to the complaint.

Officers lost sight of the Tundra, but found it again at Fourth and Hancock streets and pursued, as the pickup went 65-70 mph and ran a red light on Earl Street at Minnehaha Avenue. He drove into oncoming traffic on Maryland Avenue.

As the Tundra approached the entrance ramp to Interstate 35E, the truck struck another car, spun out and lost two tires. Squads pinned in the Tundra and took Waukon into custody.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Waukon with aiding and abetting carjacking, auto theft and fleeing from police in a vehicle. His attorney couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday. Investigators are working to identify the suspect referred to as “Mouse,” a police spokesman said.

A warrant was out for Waukon’s arrest at the time of Sunday’s incident. He was charged last March with receiving stolen property (a vehicle) and fleeing from police. He pleaded guilty to receiving stolen property, but didn’t go to court for his sentencing, which led to the warrant, court records show.

After carjackings spiked in St. Paul in 2021, they’ve been on the decline. There were five carjackings reported in St. Paul this year as of Wednesday, the same number as of this time last year, according to police department statistics.

In 2021, there were 83 carjackings reported to St. Paul police, compared with 24 last year.