KTSP(MINNEAPOLIS) — An SUV crashed into a Minnesota playground as the driver allegedly fled from police, injuring three toddlers, including two who were fighting for their lives, authorities said.
The children — ages 2, 3 and 4 — were at the Bohanon Park in Minneapolis Monday morning when the SUV crashed into the swings where they were playing, according to an incident report obtained by ABC St. Paul affiliate KSTP-TV.
Lillianna Lee Peltier, 4, and Kayden Jay Peltier, 2, were rushed to a hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the third victim, 3-year-old Konnor Jace Peltier, suffered from non-life-threatening injuries, according to KSTP.
The children’s grandmother, Diana Peltier, was in disbelief after the accident.
“To take them to the park and this happens to them? Oh, lord. I just can’t imagine,” Peltier told KSTP Monday. “Oh, they’re all wonderful children. All of them.
“I hope the kids will be OK. They’ve got to be OK.”
The suspect, whom authorities identified as Kabaar Wahleen Powell, 27, was on the run at the time, fleeing from state police officers who pulled him over for allegedly speeding earlier in the day, the report said.
Powell, who sustained minor injuries in the crash, allegedly tried to flee the scene of the crash on foot before, but he was quickly apprehended by two state troopers, according to KSTP.
Police said they recovered a gun in his vehicle. It’s unclear whether he has entered a plea.
State Patrol spokesperson Capt. Jason Bartell said his office is investigating the incident.
“There’s a lot of stuff to figure out yet,” Bartell told reporters after the crash. “It’s pretty ridiculous when you are being stopped and you just don’t pull over. And recklessly drive through innocent children and innocent people. It’s ridiculous.”
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