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A driver hit a series of parked vehicles in north Minneapolis before coming to a stop in a crash that ejected and killed a passenger, authorities say.

Officers arrived near the intersection of N. Emerson and 40th avenues shortly after 8 p.m. Monday, and arrested the driver, identified by police as 19-year-old Catherine Ann Taylor-Martinson, of Minneapolis.

Authorities also found the body of a woman believed to have been thrown from the car, said police spokesman John Elder. Paramedics pronounced her dead at the scene.

Callers to 911 reported someone "driving erratically and at high rates of speed" in the area, Elder said in a statement. "Preliminary investigation indicates that excessive speed and alcohol may be contributing factors in this crash."

Jail records show that Taylor-Martinson lives in the neighborhood and is being held on suspicion of criminal vehicular homicide.

The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office will release the victim's name, along with specifics about her death, in the coming days.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482