Stolen Kia crashes into couple's car in St. Paul, 70-year-old woman killed

Stolen Kia involved in deadly crash in St. Paul

A Kia Sport stolen out of Minneapolis crashed with another car late Sunday night in St. Paul, killing a 70-year-old woman. The crash happened around 10 p.m. in the area of Forest and Magnolia Avenue East.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Kia stolen out of Minneapolis crashed with another car late Sunday night in St. Paul, killing a 70-year-old woman. The crash happened around 10 p.m. in the area of Forest and Magnolia Avenue East.

The victim’s husband was treated and transported for his injuries by Saint Paul Fire medics and is expected to survive.

The gray Kia Sportage involved in the crash was registered as a stolen vehicle out of Minneapolis. The driver and passengers of the Kia ran from the scene and have not been located. Minnesota State Patrol air searches and the St. Paul Police K9 unit were involved in the search. There is no suspect information available at this time.

The crash remains under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to please call the St. Paul Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Unit at 651-266-5722.

UPDATE: Police have identified the victim who was killed as 70-year-old Phoua Hang.

Why Kia, Hyundai thefts are on the rise

Law enforcement officials in the Twin Cities said they've seen an uptick in stolen Hyundais and Kias.

Across the country, Hyundais and Kias of certain years are being targeted because they're easier to start without a key than other cars.

Twin Cities police report uptick in Hyundai and Kia thefts, following nationwide trend

A nationwide trend of stealing specific makes of cars has made its way to the metro. Some law enforcement officials in the Twin Cities said they've seen an uptick in stolen Hyundais and Kias.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher even referenced the issue on his "Live on Patrol." Fletcher told his Facebook and YouTube followers the issue is particularly bad in Milwaukee, where a group of teens calling themselves the "Kia Boys" steal cars across the city.

"You gotta watch the YouTube videos about the Kia Boys in Milwaukee. It's spreading all over the country. Someone's got to get to Kia and convince them to recall those cars," Fletcher said in the video. "(If you watch the videos) you'll see what we're up against here in the metro and the latest month has been a huge uptick. In Milwaukee, two-thirds of their stolen cars are Kias and Hyundais, and they've literally had 10,000 of them stolen."

St. Paul police told FOX 9 they've seen an increase in stolen Kias and Hyundais, and they think the trend is concerning.