100 mph and drinking by unlicensed driver cited in Minneapolis pileup that killed 1, injured others

An unlicensed driver was speeding and suspected of being under the influence of alcohol when he crashed into several vehicles Wednesday night near Interstate 94 and Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis, leaving one person dead and others injured, officials said Thursday.

Talon Covie-Cadrell Walker, 29, of St. Paul, was driving east about 9:15 p.m. on I-94 to Lyndale in his Chevy Avalanche SUV “at a high rate of speed” and struck several vehicles, a patrol statement issued late Thursday morning read. The agency added that alcohol use by Walker was a suspected factor in the crash.

A search warrant affidavit was filed in Hennepin County District Court by the State Patrol that cleared the way for Walker’s blood to be collected to measure his degree of intoxication.

The affidavit said Walker was “pushing 100 mph when taking the ramp” from I-94 to Lyndale, and “it appears no braking took place before the crash.”

Walker’s SUV side-swiped one vehicle, rear-ended a second and crashed into still more that were stopped at a red light at the top of the ramp, the filing continued.

A law enforcement search of his SUV turned up an empty bottle of Fireball whiskey, the affidavit read.

Walker was driving without a valid license, according to the state Department of Public Safety. In November 2019, his license was suspended, then it was revoked in April 2021, the agency said.

Court records in Minnesota show Walker has traffic convictions for careless driving and operating a motorcycle without a license. State records also show convictions for illegal weapons possession, disorderly conduct, a minor drug offense and twice for violating a court no-conduct order.

Walker’s passenger, 20-year-old Taniyah Randle-Smith, was taken by ambulance to HCMC with life-threatening injuries, according to the patrol. A hospital spokeswoman said Thursday afternoon that she was in critical condition. Walker was in HCMC in satisfactory condition, the spokeswoman said.

Killed in the crash was Natalie Gubbay, a 26-year-old SUV driver from Minneapolis. Her passenger, Molly Elizabeth Brenton, 28, of Virginia, Minn., was taken to HCMC with noncritical injuries.

The street and ramp were closed for several hours in order to allow investigators to collect evidence and clear debris. Traffic has since returned to normal.

A GMC Yukon driven by Abass Boke, 38, of Anoka had five passengers, four of whom suffered noncritical injuries, including a 2-year-old.

Drivers of other vehicles involved included Kyle Willems, 36, of Minneapolis; Luis Withrow, 22, of Minneapolis; Susan Clingman, 62, of Minneapolis, and Michael Henning, 62, of Burnsville.

The patrol initially had some of the people involved in the crash misidentified in its public report, then made corrections late Thursday morning, said Patrol Lt. Mike Lee.