MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – A Minnesota woman involved in a sidewalk brawl in downtown Minneapolis jumped into an SUV and drove through the crowd, killing a 16-year-old girl and injuring five other people.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the 22-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the events early Saturday. He said there was no doubt the motorist intended to drive through the crowd. It was not immediately clear if alcohol played a role, police said.
“The video of this is absolutely horrific. There are no words to describe how tragic and senseless it is to lose a 16-year-old woman over something like this,” said O’Hara. “But we’re grateful because it’s clear that we could have had more casualties and more injured.”
The 16-year-old girl was taken to hospital where she died. Police said a 29-year-old woman suffered life-threatening injuries, and two 14-year-old girls and two men, ages 24 and 28, were treated for minor injuries.
Witnesses followed the woman as she drove away at the same time as the collision was reported to the police at 12:23 on Saturday. Officers from several departments pulled her over and she was arrested.
Court records show the woman has previous convictions for driving with a suspended license last year and for assaulting her 14-year-old sister in 2022. It was not immediately clear if her license is still suspended.