A pedestrian died after a driver struck her near a Saint Paul intersection on Thursday and fled the scene before officers arrived.
Police were called to St. Anthony Ave. & Aldine St. around 5:15 p.m. on reports that a driver had hit a woman and continued westbound, per initial radio dispatches.
Officers found the victim on the ground, with a compound fracture to her femur and head trauma, a police department spokesperson said. Officers began providing aid, reporting that she was losing consciousness as they applied a tourniquet.
Saint Paul Fire medics took over care when they arrived and continued efforts to stabilize the victim. Medics later said the woman, believed to be around 30 years old, had an open leg fracture and was unresponsive as they prepared to insert a breathing tube, medical radio dispatches said. She was taken to Regions Hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later, the department confirmed.
Witnesses told officers the vehicle involved was a dark-colored SUV, though no further identifying details were immediately available. Police say the driver left the scene before officers arrived, and an active search is underway for the driver and the vehicle.
UPDATE | Saturday, Nov. 15: Authorities have identified the victim as Amber O. Deneen, 30, of Saint Paul.
A SPPD spokesperson confirms that officers arrested Michael Kentrell Smith, 39, on Saturday afternoon on eastbound I-94 near Mounds Blvd. in relation to the fatal pedestrian crash. Smith, of Saint Paul, has been booked into the Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.
Investigation of a fatal hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian dead Nov. 13, 2025. MN CRIME PHOTO
