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Two people were killed and four others injured after a man drove his car through a restaurant patio in a Minneapolis suburb over the weekend (per The Associated Press.)
The man drove his car through a restaurant patio where a group of medical workers were celebrating in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, with surveillance footage captured the unidenfitied man driving into the outdoor patio of the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, located west of Minneapolis. The footage shows the man entering the restaurant parking lot on Sunday evening but not going inside. He attempted to park, then drove into the outdoor patio.
The driver was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. Police did not offer additional details on a potential motive, nor did they identify the victims. In a written statement on Monday, Annelise Heitkamp, a spokesperson for Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, said one of the people who died and the four who were injured worked at the facility. Said Heitkamp: “Following the tragic incident at Park Tavern, we’re grieving the loss of a loved and respected colleague and friend to many here at Methodist Hospital and HealthPartners. Our thoughts are with our colleague’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
A spokesperson for HealthPartners, a healthcare nonprofit that operates Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, told KARE-TV that nurses and staffers from the facility were among the victims. Dr. Thomas Stark from Methodist Hospital told KSTP-TV that the group of colleagues went to Park Tavern on Sunday night to celebrate with one of the nurses, who was leaving her role for a new position. Park Tavern owner Phil Weber also told the news station that the second person who died is Kristina Folkerts, 30, a server at the restaurant.
The Minnesota State Patrol said that a law enforcement investigation into the episode is ongoing.
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