Woman accused of murder in 2 Minneapolis hit-and-run crashes
A Minneapolis woman is facing charges in two hit-and-run crashes that killed one person and injured three others late last month, according to a criminal complaint.
The 38-year-old woman is charged with one count of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder and three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Both crashes happened in Minneapolis on the evening of April 30, according to court documents filed Friday.
The first happened around 6:19 p.m. at the intersection of 26th Street West and Grand Avenue South. The two victims in this crash told police the traffic light was green in the direction they were crossing, giving them the right of way to cross, charges say.
While the two people were crossing in the designated crosswalk, a white sedan, later identified as a Honda Accord driven by the woman, accelerated through the red light and struck them. Charges say both were taken to the hospital to be treated for their injuries.
Five minutes later, two people were hit by the Honda at the intersection of 26th Street West and Emerson Avenue South, according to the criminal complaint. One of the people hit in this crash told police that he and the other person hit were crossing the street when he heard an engine rev and saw a vehicle turn towards them.
Video in the area of the second crash showed the woman slowly driving parallel to the two people, then accelerating to a high speed and hitting them when they stepped into the crosswalk, charges say. One of the people hit was allegedly thrown around 30 feet. The other was thrown onto the hood of the Honda.
The woman continued driving with the person on the hood, then quickly hit the brakes, causing the person to be thrown onto the road, according to court documents. The woman then appeared to turn the Honda towards the person and run them over, causing them to become lodged under the car.
Charges say the woman then started driving again, dragging the person stuck. The woman swerved and eventually turned into a parking lot where the person became unstuck. The woman ran the person over with the Honda's rear tires before leaving the scene.
Both people in the second crash were taken to the hospital, where one later died, charges say.
Officers who later located the car noticed the windshield was smashed and had what appeared to be blood on it, court documents show.
As of Friday, the woman is in police custody.