Teen arrested in connection to St. Paul hit-and-run that killed beloved Hmong woman

August 22, 2022

Police have arrested a teenage boy in connection to the St. Paul hit-and-run crash last month that killed a 70-year-old Hmong woman in Minnesota.

A 15-year-old boy was arrested and charged on Aug. 16 for the hit-and-run crash that killed Phoua Thao Hang, according to the St. Paul Police’s announcement on Friday.

On July 17, a stolen Kia Sportage SUV crashed into Hang and her husband’s vehicle near Forest Street and Magnolia Avenue East. Hang was pronounced dead at the scene.

The suspects in the stolen car previously fled from the scene after the crash, according to police.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office has filed a petition against the teenager, which includes one count of criminal vehicular homicide and a motion for certification for the hit-and-run death. He is scheduled for a hearing on Sept. 5 in Ramsey County juvenile court.

“Our hearts go out to the Hang family who lost their wife, mother and grandmother in this senseless tragedy. We will work diligently to achieve justice on behalf of the Hang family and our greater community,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement.

“While we know there is significant public interest in learning about this case, we will be as transparent as possible given the constraints under Minnesota law due to the young person’s age.”

Hang was reportedly born in Sa Luong, Laos, in 1952. She and her husband moved to the U.S. in 1976. She became a founding member of the Hmong American Farmers Association in 2011. She also helped lease a 155-acre farm and launched a marketing cooperative and food hub.

“As we have expressed before, Phoua Thao Hang was the singular most important person in our lives,” Hang’s family wrote in a statement released by St. Paul Police. “Her life, her abiding love for her family, her deep cultural knowledge and farming wisdom (which she open-heartedly shared), her zest and curiosity for all things, her kind and caring nature, and the thousands of untold stories, blessings, and life lessons she had yet to impart were all stolen from her, and from us, on July 17.”

“This is not right, and those responsible must be held accountable,” they added. “Please continue to extend us kindness and privacy as we prepare a traditional Hmong funeral and mourn our beloved.”

Featured Image via CBS News

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