Man Arrested After Driving into Protesters, Killing 1 in Uptown Minneapolis
A man who is believed to have driven his vehicle into a blockaded section of Uptown Minneapolis during a protest Sunday night was taken into custody by police after being detained by bystanders at the scene. The crash killed a 31-year-old woman who was at the protest and injured another person. The suspect driver is now being held without bail at the Hennepin County Jail.
Around 11:40 p.m. Sunday, police responded to the area of W. Lake St. and Girard Ave. S. A group was there as part of an ongoing protest following the fatal shooting of Winston Smith by law enforcement at an Uptown parking ramp in early June.
Deona Knajdek, in an image from Facebook
A driver, later identified by booking charges as Nicholas David Kraus, 35, of St. Paul, allegedly drove a vehicle at a high rate of speed into a vehicle that was being used to block the road, which then careened into a woman who was nearby, according to witnesses. The woman, identified by family and friends as Deona Knajdek, 31, had severe head injuries and was transported to the hospital by ambulance, where she later died.
Three other protesters had non-life-threatening injuries, the Star Tribune newspaper reported.
In an initial media release, Minneapolis police said that “preliminary investigation indicates that the use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may be a contributing factor in this crash.”
PREVIOUSLY: BCA: No Video Available After Police Killing of Armed Suspect in Uptown
After the crash, Kraus attempted to flee the scene but was detained by several people, according to police. He was turned over to officers, taken to the hospital for apparent non-serious injuries and booked into jail on a probable cause charge of criminal vehicular homicide. A booking record showed he was received at the jail shortly after 4:15 a.m. Monday. Court records for Kraus show a lengthy record of DWI offenses, including a 1st-degree felony conviction.
UPDATE: Kraus was formally charged Wednesday, June 16 with 2nd-degree intentional murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. He remained jailed in lieu of $1 million bail and was set for a court appearance Thursday afternoon.