Police: Alcohol involved in fatal Minneapolis hit and run

A woman is dead after a hit and run crash Friday evening.

According to Minneapolis police, it happened around 6 p.m. at 29th Avenue North and Newton Avenue North.

The woman had been driving eastbound on 29th Avenue North and was hit by another car that was heading southbound on Newton.

The female victim's vehicle veered off and hit a tree. Meanwhile, the suspect's vehicle crashed into a parked, unoccupied car.

That's when the 28-year-old man got out of his vehicle and fled the scene. He was gone when officers first arrived, but later returned to the scene and was arrested, police say.

The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the man was taken to the Hennepin County Medical Center for treatment. Police also got a search warrant so they could give him a blood test.

Names have not yet been released.

Minneapolis police say the suspect is awaiting formal charges, and the incident is under investigation.

Drinking and driving

According to last year's crash report by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, there were 74,772 crashes reported in 2015. In those, 411 people died and 29,981 people were injured.

At least 3,634 crashes involved alcohol – so a fairly small number compared to the total number of crashes.

Still, a third of the total number of deaths involved alcohol – 137.