A St. Paul motorist, Abdirahman Ali Hassan, 20, has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide for a fatal crash that occurred in the city’s Summit-University neighborhood last summer. According to the charges filed this week, Hassan was driving at a high speed, more than three times the legal limit, when he struck and killed 31-year-old Tashawn Burks. The incident took place on July 11, 2023, around 9:45 p.m. as Burks was crossing Concordia Avenue at Dale Street. Hassan allegedly fled the scene after the collision but was later apprehended. He was initially booked on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation but was released pending further investigation. However, on Monday, he was charged with criminal vehicular homicide for operating a vehicle in a grossly negligent manner and causing death. Witnesses reported seeing a white car speeding through the intersection at a high rate of speed. One witness stated that they were stopped at a red light heading south on Dale Street when they saw Burks walking north against the traffic signal. The witness reported hearing a vehicle’s engine rev up and then witnessing the white sedan hit Burks, causing him to become airborne. The driver of the car did not stop after the collision. Officers responding to the scene learned that the driver had stopped less than a mile away at Carroll Avenue and Arundel Street. They located a white Hyundai Sonata with significant front-end damage and a damaged windshield. The driver was identified as Hassan, who was in a state of shock and had a blank stare on his face, according to the complaint. He was covered in glass and blood splatter. Hassan’s mother helped identify him to the police since he was unable to speak at the time. She informed the officers that he had called her crying and in shock and that she had met him at the scene. Hassan was transported to a hospital but declined to speak to the police about the crash. A blood draw revealed that Hassan did not have alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of the incident. Investigators obtained a search warrant and removed the Sonata’s electronic data recorder for analysis. The data showed that Hassan’s speed had been increasing after he exited Interstate 94. The data also revealed that he had unsuccessfully attempted to make a green light at the intersection before hitting Burks. The complaint does not explicitly state who had the right of way at the time of the crash. The data indicated that the car’s speed was 62.8 mph five seconds before the crash and 77.7 mph at the time of impact. The speed limit on Concordia Avenue is 25 mph. Court records indicate that Hassan had been convicted of speeding a month prior to the fatal crash. In March, New Brighton police cited him for driving 90 mph in a 60 mph zone on the entrance ramp to Interstate 694 from Silver Lake Road.
St. Paul Man Charged with Criminal Vehicular Homicide for Fatal Crash
