Minneapolis teen charged in carjacking, chase that left 2 dead
A Minneapolis teenager who allegedly carjacked and crashed an SUV, killing two passengers, has been charged.
Tiana Hughes, 17, was charged via juvenile petition after investigators determined through DNA testing on the SUV, which was split in half in the crash, that she was the person driving.
Two minors — 16-year-olds Shawndale Hickman and Debra Ward — were killed in the high-speed crash on Dec. 8, 2021.
Prosecutors are attempting to try Hughes as an adult in the case, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
According to the charges, police received a report of a carjacking at around 6 p.m. in the area of 12th Avenue and Fremont Avenue N. in the Near North neighborhood.
Just before 2:30 a.m., an officer in Robbinsdale spotted the stolen Mercedes SUV heading southbound on County Road 81 from the intersection at 41st Avenue.
Hughes allegedly then led police on a high-speed pursuit, reaching speeds ranging between "60 and 110 miles per hour" on Lowry Avenue, according to the charges. Law enforcement notes that the driver was running red lights and driving towards oncoming traffic during the pursuit.
Eventually, the driver lost control of the SUV and struck a tree at the intersection of Lowry Avenue and Hayes Street NE. The Mercedes was split in half, with each part on opposite sides of the street, according to the petition.
Hickman was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ward was taken to a nearby hospital where she later died. Both were found lying in the street. Two other minors in the vehicle were injured in the crash but survived.
When an officer asked Hughes who was driving, she responded: "I got a concussion, I don't know s***."
The two other juveniles who survived didn't answer police when asked who was driving, however, they both said they weren't at the time.
DNA testing later determined that Hughes' blood was found on the steering wheel airbag and the driver's side window.
Hughes has been charged with two counts each of criminal vehicular homicide, second-degree manslaughter and fleeing a police officer. No court date has been scheduled for Hughes as of Friday, according to court documents.
