A man banned from driving is suspected of being under the influence of marijuana and alcohol when he struck and killed a woman at an interstate exit late at night in Minneapolis, according to charges.
Charge: Man banned from driving hit and killed pedestrian at I-94 ramp in Minneapolis
"I hit somebody. She is over there, and I think she is dead," the driver allegedly said.
September 16, 2022 at 8:45PM
Tiwan D. Puller, 31, of St. Paul, was charged Thursday in Hennepin County District Court with criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the 3:30 a.m. crash Wednesday at Interstate 94 and W. Broadway. Alexandra Joyce Renee Perkins, 21, of Hopkins, was killed.
Puller remains jailed in lieu of $50,000 bail ahead of a court appearance on Oct. 14. A message was left with his attorney seeking a response to the allegations.
The complaint said Puller was driving after the state had revoked his license. Court records show his driving history in Minnesota includes convictions for a hit-and-run crash that caused property damage, illegal passing, driving 52 miles per hour in a 30 mph zone, and driving after his license was revoked.
Puller was serving five years' probation from a 2019 illegal weapons conviction in Ramsey County. Terms of his probation included that he remain law-abiding and not use drugs or alcohol.
According to the complaint:
Puller struck another car from behind while heading south on I-94 in Minneapolis, then sped off at 80 miles per hour.
He soon exited at W. Broadway and hit Perkins, "who was standing at the intersection" on a sidewalk, the complaint read.
Puller left Perkins behind, got on the entrance ramp to resume heading south on I-94 but hit a concrete barrier and a metal pole. He walked up the ramp and tried to get in the car he hit earlier, which also had exited at West Broadway.
State Patrol troopers arrived and saw Puller fall out of the passenger side of his car. He told one trooper, "I hit somebody. She is over there, and I think she is dead," the complaint quoted him as saying.
During the conversation, the trooper detected strong odors of marijuana and alcohol coming from Puller, whose speech was slurred. He also was having difficulty making sense while speaking, and his movements were especially slow.
Troopers located a large bag of marijuana just outside the passenger door of his car. While at the hospital, Puller agreed to have his blood tested for intoxication. Test results are pending.
Troopers located Perkins on the grass, several feet from the sidewalk where she had been standing at the time she was hit. Emergency medical personnel declared her dead at the scene.
"Alexandra was such [an] outgoing and giving person," relative Deanna Duran wrote on an online posting created to raise money for funeral expenses. "She loved art and doing hair and nails. She had such a big future ahead of her, and it was taken from her [by] a drunk driver."
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