Police Searching For Uptown Hit-And-Run Suspect
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Police are looking for a suspect after a hit-and-run left an Uptown barista with a broken pelvis and two broken legs Wednesday night on a busy city intersection.
Minneapolis police said an SUV struck 24-year-old Matt Call shortly before 6 p.m. outside Urban Bean Coffee, which is located on the intersection of 24th Street and Lyndale Avenue.
Call works at Urban, and his co-worker Nate McKay saw the hit-and-run's aftermath.
"I thought he was dead," McKay said.
Witnesses said the SUV was traveling around 40 mph, according to Urban Bean's Facebook page.
"[Call] was thrown roughly 20 to 30 feet," McKay said.
The barista was on his way to diner with his girlfriend. He began to unlock his car, which was parked on the side of the road, and that's when the SUV slammed into him. But after the collision, the SUV drove off.
"It's kind of disgusting to think that somebody could not take responsibility for that," McKay said. "Matt could have died."
Several people saw the hit-and-run and so did the cameras of Jimmy Fiala, who lives down the block and has 16 surveillance cameras monitoring his home and the street. He gave images the cameras took of the SUV to police. They show a young man in a black Jeep Cherokee with gray trim.
"It's a shame people don't stop," Fiala said. "He had to have known he hit somebody."
Police say it's a matter of time before they track down the driver.
"He needs to come forward," said Sgt. William Palmer of Minneapolis Police. "Certainly things tend to go better when we don't have to go find you."
Fiala's cameras show the driver is a man. Police also said there was a passenger in the Jeep's front passenger seat at the time of the incident. If you know anything about the hit-and-run, call the police department's Traffic Unit Accident Investigation section at 612-673-2981.
Call's friends and Urban Bean regulars are hoping and praying that the suspect is found.
Call is currently recovering at the Hennepin County Medical Center. He underwent surgery for his wounds and, according to his Twitter account (@MatthewRCall) is stable and in good spirits, considering the circumstances.
"I hope Matt knows he's loved and that a lot of people are looking out for him right now," McKay said.
On Thursday night, Call tweeted: "Thank you, everyone. I'm not dead, and I consider that REALLY good news."
