Dash cam video released of north Minneapolis pursuit, playground crash

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Minnesota State Patrol is releasing the dash camera video from a pursuit in June that ended when the driver crashed into a playground in north Minneapolis, seriously injuring two children. 

On June 11, troopers tried to pull over Kabaar Powell, 27, for speeding on Interstate 94, but he tried to outrun them, running nearly two dozen stop signs while speeding through the Lind-Bohanon neighborhood. He eventually crashed into the playground at Bohanon Park. 

Kyle Peltier was playing with his four children on the basketball court at the park at the time. Powell plowed into three of the children with his vehicle, completely running over Kayden, 2, and partially running over Lillie, 4. The third child, three-year-old Konnor, suffered non-life threatening injuries. 

Powell fled from scene on foot, but was quickly apprehended by troopers and was arrested. He was charged with two felony charges for fleeing police and three misdemeanors, two for criminal vehicular operation with bodily harm and one for possession of a pistol without a permit. 

Col. Matt Langer said the number of law enforcement pursuits in Minnesota has climbed dramatically since 2010, with nearly 2,000 total pursuits across Minnesota last year. 

The State Patrol is looking into the trend and expects to make changes to its pursuit policy following June’s incident. 

“Our policy review is still ongoing,” Langer said. “The policy we have in place right now today is the same policy we had in place on June 11. I don’t anticipate that policy is going to stay the same, I anticipate that it is going to change. I don’t have, right now today, exact changes that will be made other than to say that that research and that study continues to see what we need to adjust.”

In July, Powell pleaded guilty to two felonies for fleeing an officer. He was sentenced to nearly three years in prison.