FOREST LAKE, Minn. — A 20-year-old North Branch man is charged with murder after allegedly running down a 17-year-old girl with his car following a dispute.
Dylan Simmons faces charges of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide after police say he admitted to knowingly striking a 17-year-old girl with his vehicle after a fight between two groups of people. Officials say when they arrived, several bystanders were standing around the teen and one person was performing life-saving measures. Despite their efforts, the 17-year-old died at the scene.
Prosecutors say police interviewed several witnesses who said there were multiple fights between the two groups. According to the criminal complaint, officers were told that people in both groups were armed with weapons, including hammers, a crowbar, a baseball bat and a folding knife.
After the fight de-escalated, the complaint says Simmons and another person got into a car. Simmons was the driver and several witnesses, who were described as "on the same side of the conflict" as Simmons, say he "intentionally drove in the direction of several people from the opposing side of the conflict."
Simmons collided with the back end of a vehicle that five people from the opposing side of the argument had arrived in. Multiple witnesses said Simmons then backed up and drove directly at multiple people near another vehicle, striking the 17-year-old girl with the front passenger side of the vehicle. One witness captured the incident with their cellphone.
Simmons and the passenger fled the scene but later returned. According to the complaint, Simmons admitted to driving the vehicle and hitting the victim with his car. Simmons will make his first court appearance Tuesday in Stillwater.
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