Two dead and three injured after man drives his car through restaurant patio in Minnesota

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Published Sep 02, 2024  •  1 minute read

Police are shown at the scene where a car drove into the patio seating area of Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, Minn., Sunday night, Sept. 1, 2024. Photo by Jeff Wheeler/Star Tribune via AP /The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. — Two people are dead and three were injured after a man drove his car through a restaurant patio in a Minneapolis suburb on Sunday, police said.

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Surveillance footage captured a man, whom police did not name, driving into the outdoor patio of the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, a city immediately west of Minneapolis. The footage shows the man entering the restaurant parking lot on Sunday evening but not going inside. He attempted to park, then drove into the outdoor patio, police said.

The driver was arrested for criminal vehicular homicide. Police did not offer a more details on a potential motive. They also did not identify the victims.

A spokesperson for HealthPartners, a health care nonprofit that operates Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, told KARE-TV that nurses and staffers from the facility are among the victims.

One person who witnessed the episode said the driver struck the back of his vehicle before mowing directly into a crowd of about 30 people on the patio, the news station reported.

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Dr. Thomas Stark, who works at Methodist Hospital, told KSTP-TV he was at Park Tavern on Sunday night with a group of colleagues. They were out celebrating one of the hospital employees, who was leaving her role as a nurse for a new position.

“On to the next chapter of her life and everyone was out celebrating, having a good time and saying good-bye,” Stark said.

That nurse is now hospitalized with severe injuries, according to the news station.

The Park Tavern is a “family-friendly destination offers bowling lanes and arcade games, plus a restaurant and bar,” according to its website. In a written statement published online, the restaurant said it would remain closed until further notice.

“Thank you for your understanding and kindness during this incredibly difficult time,” the statement said.

The Minnesota State Patrol conducted an accident reconstruction, and a law enforcement investigation into the episode is ongoing, authorities said.

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