Pedestrian critically injured in Hudson, Wis., road rage incident; St. Paul man arrested

An act of road rage at a boat launch in Hudson, Wis., is connected to one pedestrian being critically injured, another person on foot being slightly hurt and a driver jailed, officials said Monday.

The incident occurred about 10:50 p.m. Sunday at the Lakefront Park boat launch, where officers were alerted to a fight, police said.

One person involved drove off and hit two pedestrians, police said. The identities of the victims have yet to be released.

Officers located the driver, identified as 34-year-old Thaddeus J. Smith, of St. Paul, and arrested him on suspicion of causing an injury with a vehicle, hit-and-run and reckless driving, according to the St. Croix Sheriff's Office jail log. He remains in custody without bail pending charges.

Police did not disclose the circumstances of the fight other than to say it "appears to have stemmed from a road rage type incident."

Court records in Minnesota and Wisconsin show that Smith has been convicted twice for theft and once each for drunken driving, disorderly conduct, property damage and trespassing.