Five people, four women and a teenage girl, were killed in a fatal crash in Minneapolis on Friday night after a driver ran a red light while fleeing law enforcement. According to law enforcement, a parked state trooper watched as a car sped past northbound along I-35W towards the Lake Street transit center. The trooper started driving after the car, but the suspect driver immediately veered off the highway, ran a red light, and collided with another vehicle. All five people in the other vehicle were pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver left the scene of the crash, but with the help of witnesses, Minneapolis police were able to track him down for an arrest soon after. Minneapolis police said that the driver was not being pursued by police before the crash and that the state trooper never turned on their lights or sirens. “We suspect that the driver may be impaired,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said later.
The victims were all women under the age of 20 years old and were key members of the faith community who often volunteered and took care of the mosque, according to Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center Director Khalid Omar and board member Abdulahi Farah. “It’s a big loss for our community, you can only imagine one individual person passing away, but now we have five young women who were a part of our community who passed away. These were our brightest individuals, our brightest young sisters,” Omar said.
The mosque is allowing space for members to grieve together this weekend. A fundraiser has been set up for the victims’ families, which has raised over $177,000 as of Saturday evening. The fundraiser can be found here.
It is unclear at this time what charges the driver will face. The investigation into the crash is still ongoing.
This tragedy has left the Minneapolis community in mourning and has highlighted the danger of impaired driving. It serves as a reminder to always prioritize safety on the road and to never get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Original Story at www.fox9.com – 2023-06-17 22:47:50