MINNEAPOLIS _ The man who crashed into a Minneapolis playground following a police chase, hitting and injuring three siblings, was sentenced to almost three years in prison Thursday.
Kabaar W. Powell Jr., 27, received the 33-month sentence after he pleaded guilty in Hennepin County District Court to two felonies. One was for fleeing police and causing serious bodily harm to 2-year-old Kayden Peltier, who was nearly paralyzed in the crash. The other was for fleeing and causing substantial bodily harm to 4-year-old Lillianna Peltier. Three-year-old Konnor Peltier also was hit but suffered less serious injuries. Powell is expected to serve just under two years before he is released.
The children's parents, Kyle and Nicolle Peltier, addressed Powell Thursday, saying their lives will never be the same.
"I watched helplessly as my children were run over," said Kyle Peltier, who was at the playground with their seven children on the day of the crash. He said his older children no longer want to go the playground.
"We have a rough life now," he said.
Of the two children seriously injured, Nicolle Peltier said "their ultimate goal in life is to learn how to play and be normal."
The most seriously injured, Kayden Peltier, left the hospital Aug. 9 and can now walk with assistance. He has a traumatic brain injury, his mother said, so his thoughts and emotions vary by the day.
Powell declined to speak before he was sentenced, which the family later said was a disappointment.
At his plea hearing, Powell agreed to accept a longer sentence than usual because of the extreme nature of his crimes.
The factors favoring a longer sentence include that Powell led police on a high-speed chase through a residential area before crashing through a fence and injuring the children in front of their father and siblings _ all while driving after his license had been revoked.
Under regular guidelines, he would receive probation.
The State Patrol started chasing Powell on Interstate 94 in north Minneapolis on June 11. He sped through 22 stop signs before crashing through a fence at the Jenny Lind Elementary School playground.
Powell's speed topped 80 miles per hour, ending only when his SUV struck the kids. The Peltiers have signaled their intent to sue the State Patrol.
Kayden Peltier suffered pelvic and cervical spine fractures, lost his spleen and had bleeding on his brain.
