In a hit-and-run accident that killed a 70-year-old grandmother in St. Paul last month, a 15-year-old boy has been accused.
On July 17, Phoua Hang and her husband were traveling in their car when a stolen Kia driver hit their vehicle in the Payne-Phalen area. After the collision, the driver and the passengers escaped.
In juvenile court, the youngster was accused with felony vehicular homicide by the Ramsey County Attorney’s office. Additionally, they submitted a petition asking for his adult trial.
According to St. Paul police Sgt. David McCabe, the kid was apprehended by police on Tuesday following “a protracted and extensive investigation that comprised surveillance footage, forensic analysis, and most crucially, information from our St. Paul community.”
The adolescent may have been a passenger or the suspected driver, according to the police. Police continue to encourage anybody with information to phone 651-266-5656 as the investigation is still underway.
For twenty years, Hang sold the fresh food from her family’s farm at the St. Paul Farmers Market. Rep. Jay Xiong, DFL-St. Paul, is her grandson. Pakou Hang and Janssen Hang, her son and daughter, established the Hmong American Farmers Association.
According to authorities, the collision occurred as Hang’s husband was traveling north on Forest Street and the Kia was coming from an alleyway between Cook and Magnolia avenues.
Phoua Thao Hang was “tragically and senselessly slain,” according to a statement sent by her family on Friday. “Today’s developments represent a first, crucial step in the direction of responsibility and justice.”
According to her family, Hang “was the one and only most significant person in our life.” On July 17, her life was stolen from her and from us, along with her steadfast love for her family, her rich cultural knowledge and farming wisdom (which she freely shared), her zeal and curiosity for everything, her kindness and caring nature, and the thousands of untold stories, blessings, and life lessons she had yet to share.
The Kia Sportage that collided with the other car was taken from Minneapolis.
Since knowledge of their easy-to-steal design has spread, thefts of Kia and Hyundai vehicles—mostly those produced between 2016 and 2021—have dramatically risen both locally and nationally.
256 Kias and 212 Hyundais were reported stolen in St. Paul alone by the end of June, compared to 18 Kias and 31 Hyundais at the same time previous year.
