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Charges filed in death of 16-year-old skateboarder in Minneapolis

Prosecutors say 34-year-old Bobby Frank Brookins was drunk when he hit Dychaun Chew, leaving the teen laying in the street with injuries that would prove fatal.

MINNEAPOLIS — A man with a lengthy criminal record that includes multiple driving offenses is now charged with hitting and killing a teen skateboarder in Minneapolis. 

A criminal complaint details the charges against 34-year-old Bobby Frank Brookins, who is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Each count involving the death of 16-year-old Dychaun Chew comes with a maximum recommended sentence of 15 years in prison. 

Minneapolis police was dispatched to the intersection of 51st Ave. N and Fremont Ave. N the night of June 15 on reports of a fatal crash. Officers found a teenager, later identified as Chew, laying on the ground with several people performing CPR. First responders took Chew to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead. 

Investigators on the scene noticed several parked vehicles with significant damage, and a Chevy Traverse SUV on the front lawn of a residence. Witnesses told police that the man suspected of hitting Chew was driving northbound on Freemont at a high rate of speed and failed to stop at a stop sign. Chew was crossing the intersection on his skateboard and was struck.

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The driver, identified by police as Brookins, continued north on Freemont and hit several parked cars, losing a wheel in the process. Investigators noted that the Traverse had heavy damage and a hole in the windshield. Brookins was apprehended at the scene, and officers say he was visibly intoxicated and smelled of alcohol. Police say Brookins admitted to driving the vehicle and hitting the teen. 

A preliminary field test measured his blood alcohol level at .16, twice the legal limit for operating a vehicle. 

The black box on Brookins' vehicle indicates he was driving at 55 miles per hour on the residential street when he hit Chew. There was no indication he even attempted to use the brakes. 

Security cameras at a number of residences in the neighborhood also captured the incident. 

Court documents indicate Brookins has at least two DWI convictions, several arrests for driving after revocation or suspension, and numerous other offenses.  

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