Man Accused Of Hitting Army Recruiters Now Faces Assault Charges
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The man accused of running down two Army recruiters with a Jeep in Roseville last month now faces two additional charges that could, following a conviction, add decades to his prison sentence.
Enrico Darius Taylor, 52, was initially charged with three counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with the Sept. 17 hit-and-run that left one of the victims, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, with several broken bones. The combined maximum penalty for those charges would have been about 10 years in prison.
An amended criminal complaint, however, shows Taylor now faces two additional counts of assault. If convicted of just these charges, Taylor could face a combined maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.
Additionally, Taylor has an extensive criminal history, with 11 felony convictions ranging from check forgery, fleeing police and theft by swindle. He is slated to appear at a hearing on Nov. 20 and is being held on $150,000 bail.
And while he initially denied having anything to do with the September hit-and-run near the Roseville Shopping Center, he did later admit to hitting one of the victims, saying it was an accident.
"I freaked out because my license is suspended," he said, according to a criminal complaint. "I turned the corner coming up the hill. I got a contact in, the light blinded me, I didn't see him, he stepped in front of me, it was too late."
Sgt. Travis Torgerson was hit by the Jeep and dragged for nearly a mile. He suffered a broken leg, tailbone and ribs, along with numerous abrasions to his tailbone and lower back.
As of Oct. 25, Torgerson has undergone five surgeries and was still being hospitalized. After the incident, authorities said he needed several skin grafts to fully heal, as his flesh was ground down to the bone.
The other victim, 29-year-old Sgt. Michael Stroud, was tossed into the air and landed about 15 feet away. He described watching his fellow recruiter being dragged away as a terrifying experience.
"As I saw him speed away I felt an empty feeling, he was going to be gone," he said.
