ID'd: Motorist killed in south metro hit-and-run as suspect was arrested naked

Authorities on Sunday released the identity of the motorist who was killed in south metro crash caused by a driver who ran a red light and fled the scene, stripping naked while on the run.

Osah Phetsarath, 45, of Lakeville, was dead at the scene of the multivehicle wreck Friday morning at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and 160th Street on the border of Lakeville and Apple Valley, according to the Hennepin County medical examiner's office.

Officers caught the hit-and-run suspect hiding naked in the basement of a townhouse he broke into in the 15800 block of Gooseberry Way, not far from the scene, police said. Officers eventually got in and took the suspect to Regions Hospital in St. Paul with unspecified injuries, police added.

According to police, the suspect was driving west on County Road 46 and ran a red light at Cedar Avenue. The suspect's vehicle collided with Phetsarath's vehicle.

Two other vehicles were involved in crash. One person was injured and given medical attention at the scene, police said.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482