In Minnesota, prosecutors filed murder charges against a man who they said crashed his BMW X5 into a packed restaurant terrace, killing two people and wounding nine others.
In addition to accusations linked to drunk driving, Steven Frane Bailey, 56, was already facing charges of vehicular murder for the incident that occurred on September 1 at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. However, prosecutors added two counts of third-degree murder for “perpetrating” a deadly act under the influence of a “depraved mind” after looking over surveillance footage, according to a probable cause arrest affidavit.
According to police, the BMW was in the parking lot when he struck a parked car. Bailey allegedly raced across the parking lot and hit an SUV in a “attempt to flee the scene. continued to accelerate straight toward the patio,” he said.
“After hitting the Black SUV, defendant accelerates straight past a two-lane drive in the parking lot and 11 parking spaces before plowing his vehicle through a metal fence and into the patio seating area,” detectives stated.
Bailey is accused of hitting “multiple” individuals, occupying tables, and failing to stop for the entire patio. He didn’t slow down until he struck two boulders at the foot of a steep incline, authorities said, and then came to a “abrupt” stop.
When police got on the site, they discovered many victims, including a woman who would subsequently be identified as 30-year-old Kristina Marie Folkerts, trapped beneath the automobile, as well as several shattered tables and chairs, debris, and people.
Police raised the BMW to free her because it was undriveable, but paramedics pronounced her dead. Another victim, thirty-year-old Gabriel Quinn Harvey, was taken by first responders to the hospital and later declared dead.
Bailey staggered out of the car and fell, according to the complaint. He allegedly said, “I’m f—-” and “I’m probably going to jail,” overheard by officers. Additionally, it was alleged that he intended to press the brake but accidentally pressed the gas.
Cops saw that Bailey’s eyes were wet and his speech was slurred. There are reports that he stated, “You don’t need to do fields, I know what I did,” when the officers informed him they would be doing field sobriety tests.
According to the affidavit, his blood alcohol content was .325—more than four times the permitted limit of 0.08.
When he arrived to the Hennepin County Jail, police told him he would be charged with vehicular manslaughter. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Bailey allegedly replied, “and my life’s pretty much f—– now, isn’t it?”
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While some just received minor scrapes and bruises, those who survived had significant injuries like shattered legs, pelvis, and ribs, as well as dislocated knees.
In addition, prosecutors on Monday submitted a notice of intent to pursue a “upward sentencing departure” due in part to Bailey’s five previous convictions for driving under the influence, his high blood alcohol content, and the presence of minors at the restaurant at the time of the event.
Bailey is being held at Hennepin County Jail on a bond of $500,000. October 1st is his scheduled court date.
