A pedestrian is dead and a driver is in custody after a fatal hit-and-run in a Target parking lot Wednesday in Blaine.
Police were called to the store at 1500 NE. 109th Av. about 11:35 p.m. on a report that a person had been struck by a vehicle. Responders rendered aid to the victim, who was taken by ambulance to Mercy Hospital. The victim died there, said Lt. Andy Knotz of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office identified the victim as Kenneth Alan Niesen, 58, of Brooklyn Park.
"Ken was the most wonderful son, brother, husband, father, and friend to everyone he met," family members said in a statement. "Words cannot express our grief. Our family asks for privacy as we mourn this tragic loss."
The driver, a 30-year-old man from St. Paul, fled the scene, but sheriff's deputies later spotted him and arrested him after a foot pursuit, Knotz said.
The driver was booked into the Anoka County jail with 2nd degree murder charges pending. He has previous convictions for motor vehicle theft, robbery, driving after license revocation and obstructing the legal process, according to court records.
The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they are charged.
Knotz said no other details were being released as the case is still under investigation.
Tim Harlow
