Driver in deadly Twin Cities crash had license revoked, court records show
The man behind the wheel during a deadly crash Saturday morning in the Twin Cities was driving with a revoked license, according to court records.
The crash occurred at about 7:21 a.m. in Brooklyn Park at the intersection of Highway 252 and Humboldt Avenue, according to police.
Traffic camera footage shows the speeding Chevy Impala slam directly into a traffic light pole in the median. Bystanders are then seen breaking the car's windows and pulling both occupants from the vehicle as it erupts into flames.
The passenger, 36-year-old Carlos Chavez Holliday, was pronounced dead at the scene. Holliday, from Minneapolis, was memorialized in a balloon release ceremony this past weekend.
The 33-year-old driver, also from Minneapolis, was taken to North Memorial Health hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.
A search warrant filed on Thursday in Hennepin County seeks a blood sample from the driver. The Minnesota State Patrol trooper who filed the warrant alleges she could "smell an odor of alcoholic beverage" when talking with him at the hospital.
"I was not able to see his eyes or perform any field sobriety tests on the driver because of injuries sustained in the crash," the trooper wrote in the warrant application.
Court records show his driver's license had been revoked earlier this year following a DWI conviction. A judge had also ordered him to install an ignition interlock system in his vehicle.
He was previously charged twice with driving after a suspension and once with driving after revocation. He also has prior convictions for speeding, careless driving, disorderly conduct, drugs and gun charges.
The attorney's office has yet to make a charging decision in this case.
