St. Paul police are searching for a driver who took off after a 65-year-old man riding a mobility scooter was hit and later died on the city's East Side. The crash happened Wednesday night around 9:10 p.m. at the intersection of Phalen Boulevard and Rose Avenue, according to police.
In a statement to KSTP, St. Paul Police Sgt. Toy Vixayvong said the man was struck while using the crosswalk, then taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. He was pronounced dead on Thursday. By the time officers arrived, the driver was gone, and investigators are now poring over nearby surveillance footage for clues about the vehicle and its driver.
Possible charges under state law
Minnesota law requires drivers involved in crashes that cause injury or death to stop and provide their information, a duty spelled out in Minn. Stat. § 169.09. If a person is killed and the legal elements are met, prosecutors can pursue criminal vehicular homicide charges under Minn. Stat. § 609.21, which can carry prison time and fines.
How investigators find drivers
Hit-and-run investigations often depend on tools like doorbell and traffic cameras, license-plate readers, and witness accounts. Those have proved critical in past Twin Cities cases. For example, Minneapolis investigators used video evidence to identify a suspect in a 2021 hit-and-run that killed a woman on a mobility scooter, according to CBS Minnesota, highlighting how crucial footage can be when a driver takes off.
Police ask for tips
St. Paul police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or who has video from the area of Phalen Boulevard and Rose Avenue on Wednesday night to come forward and contact investigators. As KSTP reports, no arrests have been made and the investigation remains active.
