Ex-Con Charged In Deadly Downtown Mpls. Crash
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An Apple Valley man who was fresh out of jail is back in, and charged in a deadly hit-and-run crash that killed a Twin Cities singer.
Israel Delos Santos, 30, was charged Tuesday with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in connection to the fatal crash in downtown Minneapolis last Thursday, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's office.
The criminal complaint says Santos and a friend were driving down Park Avenue in a Chevrolet Trailblazer at more than 70 miles per hours. Witnesses told investigators the SUV had gone through at least three red lights.
Santos ran the red light at the intersection with 15th Street East, crashing into a Honda Fit driven by 47-year-old Krista Sandstrom. She was later declared dead at the scene.
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Witnesses told officers that Santos and his passenger fled on foot, and the passenger appeared to throw a liquor bottle into bushes.
Officers found the passenger in a parking ramp, and Santos nearby on the street. He resisted arrest and told the officers he is in the infamous Sureños gang.
The criminal complaint says he tried to headbutt a firefighter, and also told an arresting officer, "If I really wanted to, I would kill you."
A blood sample from Santos is being tested by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The attorney's office says Santos was released from prison in February for committing an assault with a dangerous weapon in Dakota County. He was under intensive supervised release.
Santos will make his first court appearance Wednesday. He could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted.