Red light runner charged almost a year after hitting, killing a mother in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man has been charged almost a year after he hit and killed a mother who pushed her children out of the way before being hit.

Duaale Abdirasaq Hirsi, 23, has been charged with criminal vehicle homicide and criminal vehicular operation almost 11 months after the crash.

An arrest warrant is currently out for Hirsi. 

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What happened?

According to the charges, on Sept. 22, 2023, Minneapolis police responded to a report of a vehicle hitting a pedestrian while crossing the street near Lake Street and Blaisdell Avenue South.

At the scene, a woman, who was then identified by police as 36-year-old Annalee Wright was found lying in the street, court documents say.

The complaint states that Wright and her two children, aged 14 and six, were crossing Lake Street on a green light when a vehicle being driven by Hirsi allegedly ran a red light, hitting Wright.

Before being hit, Wright had pushed her children out of the way, but her 14-year-old child was still sideswiped, the charges say.

According to court documents, Wright was taken to the hospital where she died three days later due to severe head injuries and multiple fractures. The 14-year-old suffered a fractured arm and abrasions due to being sideswiped.

Hirsi stayed at the scene after hitting Wright and her child, the charges said. 

What witnesses saw

One witness told police he was on an MTC bus that was on Blaisdell Avenue when the incident occurred. The bus dropped off Wright and her children near the intersection of Blaisdell Avenue and Lake Street, court documents said. 

The witness then said, as the bus was about to enter the intersection on a green light, he saw two cars in the left lane on Lake Street heading west stopped at the red light. Hirisi was in the right lane and reportedly did not stop for the red light and "sped through the intersection," the witness continued.

According to court documents, the witness said the bus had to brake to avoid hitting Hirsi, and Hirsi then hit Wright. 

Another witness who was driving in the left lane on Lake Street with her boyfriend at the time of the incident told police she was about to merge into the right lane, and had room to do so, when Hirsi allegedly "aggressively" sped up on her, so she moved back into the left lane, the charges said. She also said that Hirsi reportedly "glared at her", which took his eyes off the road. 

The witness continued to say that Hirsi continued to "glare" at her as he accelerated and passed her, running the red light and hitting Wright, the complaint states. 

Hirsi allegedly never used his brakes before hitting Wright. 

The witness' boyfriend gave the same description of what happened, and also described Hirsi losing control of his car after hitting Wright, court documents say. 

What surveillance footage shows

Court documents say that surveillance video shows that the intersection was busy during the incident. All the cars in the video had their headlights on, but Hirsi's car did not. 

The video shows Hirsi failing to stop at the red light, just missing a car that was in the intersection, and hitting Wright. The video also confirmed that Hirsi did not brake when the light was red, and did not brake before hitting Wright and her child, the charges say. 

How fast was Hirsi driving? 

The speed limit on Lake Street was 30 mph, and at the scene, Hirsi told police he was driving on the right late at about 45 mph, court documents said. 

Hirsi allegedly made "inconsistent" statements about the color of the traffic light to police, the charges state. He did reportedly admit to speeding.