A 30-year-old man with a history of driving drunk was charged Tuesday with "drinking heavily" before he crashed his car in a Brooklyn Center parking lot and left the scene, where his 15-year-old passenger was killed.
Demetreious A. Baldwin, of Minneapolis, was charged in Hennepin County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the rollover wreck about 1:20 a.m. Sunday in the south lot of CAPI USA, a nonprofit organization serving the needs of immigrants and refugees.
Baldwin was charged by warrant and remains hospitalized for injuries he suffered in the crash in the 5900 block of Brooklyn Boulevard.
Earlier Tuesday, authorities identified Keyaries D. Benford, of Robbinsdale, as the passenger who died. Benford attended Minneapolis North High School and would have turned 16 years old on Dec. 30, according to a statement Monday from the school.
A third person in the car also was injured, hospitalized and later released. All three are related, according to the criminal complaint, although the document did not elaborate.
"Officers immediately tried to free [Benford] from the vehicle," a statement from police read, "but the vehicle was extremely unsteady and almost rolled over on the officers as they worked to pull him out." Emergency medical personnel soon arrived and declared the teen dead.
At the time of the crash, Baldwin was on supervised probation for the most recent of his three drunken driving convictions. His criminal history in Minnesota also includes at least nine convictions for driving after his license was either suspended, canceled or revoked.
According to the criminal complaint:
Responding officers saw markings that indicated that the car left road several times and went airborne before it crash-landed on the driver's side.
Baldwin and the unidentified relative "were drinking heavily" before the wreck, the complaint read.
Questioned by police at the hospital, Baldwin "admitted he crashed due to alcohol consumption." Baldwin also could not explain why he left the scene.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
