Surveillance video spurs added murder charges in Park Tavern patio crash
ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — A man accused of drunkenly driving into a restaurant patio in St. Louis Park and killing two people faces more severe charges after prosecutors viewed surveillance video of the crash, authorities say.
Steven Bailey now faces two counts of third-degree murder, in addition to the original two counts of criminal vehicular homicide and nine counts of criminal vehicular operation filed last week, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. The amended charges were filed on Monday afternoon.
The attorney's office said it had not yet viewed surveillance video of the crash when charges were first filed, but it has since.
Prosecutors allege Bailey's BAC was .325 — more than four times the legal limit — when he drove into the Park Tavern patio.
Kristin Folkerts, a 30-year-old employee of the restaurant, was pinned under the car and died at the scene. Methodist Hospital employee Gabe Harvey was also killed. Nine other people suffered injuries ranging from broken legs to head trauma, lacerations and bruises.
According to the attorney's office, the surveillance video shows Bailey, 56, backing his vehicle into another while attempting to park in the restaurant's parking lot. Video shows he would have had a clear view of the patio, tables and the multiple people seated outside, amended charges state.
The video allegedly shows him then speeding away, swerving to avoid another vehicle and hitting it as he accelerated towards the patio, documents say. Bailey plows through a metal fence and doesn't stop as he hits multiple tables and people. Video shows that he continues through the whole length of the patio without breaking and doesn't slow down until his car hit several boulders, the complaint says.
The attorney's office said it has asked Park Tavern not to release the video publicly.
The criminal complaint states Bailey was going 30-45 mph when he hit the fence surrounding the patio. When officers arrived, they heard Bailey talking on the phone.
"I'm f*****," he said, according to charges. "I hit the gas instead of the brake and went right through a thing."
Bailey appeared in court last week, at which point a judge set his bail at $1 million without conditions and half that with conditions. His next court hearing is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 1.
Bailey has five previous DWI convictions over four decades, with the first coming in 1985 and the most recent in 2014.
Park Tavern reopened last week, with a growing memorial outside for the victims.