A 31-year-old man has received a term of nearly 19 years for running over and killing a man while fleeing St. Paul police in a stolen car.

Leonie L. Sparkman, of St. Paul, was sentenced Thursday in Ramsey County District Court after pleading guilty to causing a death while fleeing police in connection with the crash on Oct. 22, 2021, that killed Brian S. Reed, 55, who lived a few doors down from where he was hit.

With credit for time in jail after his arrest, Sparkman is expected to serve the first 11 â…” years in prison and the balance on supervised release.

Sparkman's criminal history in Minnesota also includes two convictions for first-degree robbery, one for first-degree assault, two for careless driving and three for giving law enforcement a false name.

According to the criminal complaint:

Police were called shortly before 5 a.m. to the 100 block of Bridlewood Drive, south of the Ruth Street exit from Interstate 94, to check on "suspicious activity." An officer approached a car and spoke with a woman who was crying and said Sparkman was her boyfriend. Sparkman, in the back seat, ran off.

Sparkman got in a different car nearby and drove away. The car's owner said she left it running in the driveway to warm it up. Moments later, Sparkman drove into a tree and hit Reed about a quarter-mile to the west. Fire Department personnel declared him dead at the scene.