MINNEAPOLIS _ A motorist being pursued by the State Patrol on Monday morning veered into a Minneapolis playground near a grade school and hit three young children from the same family, two of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, authorities said.
Kabaar W. Powell, 27, of Richfield, was driving the SUV that hit a swing set outside Jenny Lind Elementary School, the State Patrol said.
Powell ran from the scene but was quickly apprehended and taken to North Memorial Medical Center with noncritical injuries and then jailed, the patrol added.
Kayden J. Peltier, 2, and Lillianna L. Peltier, 4, were the most severely injured, the patrol said. Konnor J. Peltier, 3, was less seriously hurt. All are from St. Paul.
The children and other siblings were being watched by their father, Kyle Peltier, while their mother, Nicolle, was taking a test for a class, an aunt to the children told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Devin Brinkley said Kayden was in critical condition heading into surgery, while Lillianna was stable with bleeding on the brain. Brinkley was unsure of Konnor's condition.
One trooper was trying to pull Powell over nearby on southbound Interstate 94 for speeding, when the SUV exited, the State Patrol said during a news conference from the scene.
After another trooper joined the pursuit, the vehicle drove through a tennis court, then plunged into sand and struck the school swing set, the patrol said.
A gun was recovered in the vehicle, the patrol said, and a trooper loaded a stroller into the back of his vehicle.
Two troopers were slightly hurt while apprehending Powell, who was jailed without bail on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation and fleeing police.
The pursuit appears to have begun shortly after 9:35 a.m. on Fremont Avenue near 53rd Avenue, according to the dispatch audio.
The dispatcher said the same vehicle was pursued by law enforcement on Friday, but that pursuit was terminated before officers caught up with the driver.
Authorities have not said how fast the troopers or the SUV were going on either the interstate or in the neighborhood.
The State Patrol's policy on chases says a pursuit must be discontinued under numerous circumstances, including "when there is a clear and unreasonable danger to the trooper, fleeing motorist or other persons."
A trooper should also "give strong and continuing consideration to cutting off a pursuit when the suspect is wanted for a misdemeanor or nonviolent felony or when the suspect can be positively identified."
The State Patrol did not immediately respond to a request for an interview about whether its policy was followed in this case.
Powell's criminal history includes a conviction in 2015 for driving on a suspended license. He has other traffic convictions since 2010 for twice not having the proper license for the type of vehicle he was operating, speeding and driving without insurance.
Celeste Levie, who lives close to the playground, said she spoke with a pastor who came to the scene.
"She stopped and prayed with us," Levie said. The pastor was concerned about the fate of one of the children in particular, she said.
Levie said she has lived in that part of north Minneapolis since 2001 and described it as "a nice neighborhood. We're kind of tucked away up here. This is shocking and hurtful for us."
