Boy, 15, faces charges in St. Paul hit-and-run that killed Phoua Hang
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A 15-year-old boy has been arrested and faces charges in connection to a fatal hit-and-run crash in St. Paul that killed a 70-year-old woman earlier this summer.
According to St. Paul police, the teenage suspect was taken into custody on Tuesday. Due to state law, details of the arrest are not being made public.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office filed a petition against the 15-year-old, which includes one count of criminal vehicular homicide. The suspect's next court hearing is on Sept. 7.
On the evening of July 17, police say a motorist in a stolen vehicle crashed into a couple who were driving north on Forest Street. Phoua Hang, 70, was a passenger in the vehicle. She died at the scene.
Hang was born in Sa Luong, Laos in 1952 and fled the country in 1975. She and her husband immigrated to the United States a year later. In 2011, she became a founding member of the Hmong American Farmers Association, and during her time helped lease a 155 acre farm, now called the HAFA Farm. She also helped launch a marketing cooperative and food hub, and led the charge on a micro-lending program.
"(She had a) Infectious laugh, beautiful smile, and was a great mom," said Jim Golden, who had known Hang for decades given his role as Market Manager at St. Paul Farmers Market. "We had a lot of laughs, there was a language barrier, but that didn't seem to matter too much to her."
Golden says Hang's dedication to the market made her death difficult for everyone involved to handle.
"It's just super sad. It breaks my heart. It's hard to talk about," he said. "She's missed. She'll be missed. She was a great great person and great to have as part of the market."
Hang's husband was taken to the hospital, and is expected to recover.
The vehicle that hit them was a gray KIA Sportage, and according to St. Paul police, it was stolen. The driver and passengers of that car ran from the scene.
Along with the arrest announcement, police shared a statement from the family:
On July 17, 2022, Phoua Thao Hang was senselessly and tragically killed. Today's developments are a first-and an important-step forward in the pursuit of accountability and justice.
On behalf of Phoua Thao Hang's family and the many people who loved her, we would like to thank the Saint Paul Police Department and all of law enforcement for the time they have dedicated to investigating this crime and for their continued dedication and efforts on the
Case.We also want to thank the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for their dedication and efforts now and in the future to prosecute this crime to the full extent of the law.
As we have expressed before, Phoua Thao Hang was the singular most important person in our lives. Her life, her abiding love for her family, her deep cultural knowledge and farming wisdom (which she open-heartedly shared), her zest and curiosity for all things, her kind and caring nature, and the thousands of untold stories, blessings, and life lessons she had yet to impart were all stolen from her, and from us, on July 17.
This is not right, and those responsible must be held accountable.
Please continue to extend us kindness and privacy as we prepare a traditional Hmong funeral and mourn our beloved.
"It's a tragedy on both sides, it's a tragedy for all families, it's a tragedy," Golden said. "I'm sure (the arrested teenagers') family is grieving, just like the hang family and the greater community is grieving. It's a tragedy for everybody."
