A 16-year-old girl is dead and five others were injured when a woman appeared to intentionally run her vehicle through a crowd in downtown Minneapolis early Saturday morning.
Crime Watch Minneapolis began reporting just before 12:30 a.m. Saturday that at least two females were down and unconscious from a reported hit-and-run in front of Augie’s on the 400 block of Hennepin Avenue, according to police scanner audio.
Police aired that CPR was started on one of the injured parties and that a beige Honda Pilot had fled the scene. It was eventually aired that a witness had followed the suspect vehicle out of downtown and into north Minneapolis.
Police updated that at least four people had been injured in the chaotic scene and that the driver was wanted for “CVH” (criminal vehicular homicide).
Crime Watch obtained video from a bystander of the immediate aftermath of the crash that showed first responders on site tending to the victims—one being wheeled into an ambulance and another still on the ground.
By 12:40 a.m., it was aired that police had the suspect vehicle stopped at 23rd and Bryant Avenue North.
Following the crash, Crime Watch obtained another video from a bystander that reportedly showed the suspect vehicle in the hour prior to the crash at 4th and Nicollet Mall. A female was twerking on the hood of the vehicle with another passenger looking on from the passenger side of the vehicle, and the driver appeared to be trying to coax the female back into the vehicle. The bystander who sent the video told Crime Watch it was the same vehicle that later fled from the crash scene, which was reportedly confirmed to them by police after they turned over the video to officers.
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It appears the female who was twerking on the suspect vehicle an hour earlier was one of the people fighting who was run over. Note the spine tattoo and the shoes. pic.twitter.com/A46p3frutc— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) September 14, 2024
Another video that surfaced following the crash showed that a fight took place at the corner prior to the crash. The female who earlier had been twerking on the suspect vehicle appeared to be one of the parties on the ground fighting. She was topless during the fight, which showed a spine tattoo similar to that shown in the twerking video, and her shoes appeared to be the same as those seen in the prior video.
The same video also showed a heavyset woman who appeared to be the driver of the suspect vehicle leave the fight before the vehicle is then seen running over the fight participants and the crowd that surrounded them.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara confirmed those facts in a media briefing later Saturday morning. He also stated that the suspect “absolutely … no question” used her vehicle as a weapon, in response to a question by media.
The Minneapolis Police Department issued a statement stating that a 16-year-old girl died and five others were injured in the crash, one with potentially life-threatening injuries. The statement confirmed that the crash stemmed from an altercation.
The statement said the unnamed female suspect was booked on probable cause murder.
Booking records show Latalia Anjolie Margalli, 22, is being held on probable cause murder.
Minnesota court records show Margalli was just convicted in March in Washington County for driving after suspension. She also has a history of other driving-related convictions, plus a conviction for fifth-degree assault. Chief O’Hara said he didn’t immediately have information on whether Margalli had a valid driver’s license at the time of the crash.
The Minneapolis Police Department followed up with another statement later Saturday containing more details about the injured parties. In addition to the 16-year-old girl who died, two 14-year-old females suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries; a 24-year-old man suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries; a 28-year-old man suffered apparent non-life-threatening injuries; and a 29-year-old female suffered potentially life-threatening-injuries.
Chief O’Hara said in his briefing that more arrests and charges are possible related to the fight that occurred prior to the hit-and-run crash.
“There aren’t words to describe how tragic and senseless it is to lose a 16-year-old female over something like this,” said Chief O’Hara. “There were at least a dozen people in the immediate path of the vehicle as the suspect drove through the crowd. We are thankful because it’s clear we could have had more fatalities, and more people injured. We will continue to investigate this incident, as senseless as it is, and try and determine what the motive for this could possibly be.”
Alpha News will continue to follow developments in this incident.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
