Stillwater Man in Critical Condition after Being Hit by Suspected Drunk Driver

A 24-year-old Stillwater man is in critical condition after a suspected drunken driver who was being pursued by a State Trooper through downtown Minneapolis early Monday morning crashed into a vehicle he was a passenger in.

Connor Macklin remains in critical condition, according to the State Patrol. His friend, and the driver of the vehicle he was a passenger in, Brody A. Sotona, of Spring Valley, WI, was killed as a result of the crash.

According to the State Patrol, the driver, Yia Her, 34, of St. Paul, fled when the trooper pulled him over on Interstate 94—leading the trooper on a 3-minute chase through downtown Minneapolis where the fatal crash occurred.

Her, the man who allegedly caused the crash, was hospitalized with non-critical injuries.

In a written statement, published by the Star Tribune, Sotona’s family questions why the State Patrol would purse the suspected drunken driver in downtown Minneapolis.

“The family would like to know why the Minnesota State Trooper pursued the suspect into a high-speed chase in DOWNTOWN Minneapolis at 1 o’clock in the morning when it is quite clear that they already had the suspect’s license plate and likely the name and address,” the statement published by the Star Tribune reads. “If they would not have pushed him our son and brother would still be alive today.”

During a news conference in Minneapolis Monday morning, Lt. Eric Roeske defended the trooper’s decision, saying the trooper pursued the suspected drunken driver because the he was creating a public danger by speeding and driving under the influence.

If Her had obeyed the trooper’s commands, Roeske said, the crash would not have happened.

Since 2001, Her has at least 17 violations in Minnesota, including speeding and driving without a license, according to court records. Her’s license was suspended at the time of the crash.

Sotona and Macklin were members of the band Crush, which plays rock, punk and alternative music at venues around the Twin Cities, the Pioneer Press reports.