2 people killed, 4 injured when man drove car into…

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. (AP) — A man drove his car into the patio of a restaurant where a group of health care workers were celebrating Sunday in a Minneapolis suburb, killing two people and injuring at least four, police and hospital officials said.

Surveillance footage captured the man, whose name police did not release, pulling onto the patio of the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, a city directly west of Minneapolis. The footage shows the man pulling into the restaurant’s parking lot Sunday evening but not going inside. He tried to park and then pulled onto the patio, police said.

The driver was arrested for vehicular homicide. Police have not released any details about a possible motive. The victims have not been identified. However, in a written statement Monday, Annelise Heitkamp, ​​a spokeswoman for Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park, said one of the people who died and four of the people injured worked at the facility.

“Following the tragic incident at Park Tavern, we mourn the loss of a beloved and respected colleague and friend to many at Methodist Hospital and HealthPartners,” Heitkamp said. “Our thoughts are with our colleague’s family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time.”

The statement did not release the names of the deceased. It said all four of the injured hospital workers were nurses. Dr. Thomas Stark, who works at Methodist Hospital, told KSTP-TV that a group of coworkers went to the Park Tavern, which is located near the hospital, on Sunday night to celebrate with one of the nurses who was leaving her position to take a new one.

“We moved on to the next chapter of her life. Everyone was out in the streets, celebrating, having fun and saying goodbye,” Stark said.

According to the news station, the nurse was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

One person who witnessed the crash told KARE-TV that the driver rear-ended his vehicle and then drove straight into a crowd of about 30 people on the patio. Park Tavern owner Phil Weber told the news station that the second person killed was Kristina Folkerts, a waitress at the restaurant.

Folkerts, 30, had a long history with Park Tavern, Weber said. Folkerts’ mother also was a waitress at the restaurant before she died. She died when Folkerts was 14, and restaurant employees would come to the teen’s aid and occasionally babysit her. Folkerts is survived by three young daughters.

Park Tavern is a “family-friendly venue offering bowling and arcade games, as well as a restaurant and bar,” according to its website. In a written statement posted online, the restaurant said it will remain closed until further notice.

“We thank you for your understanding and kindness during this extremely difficult time,” the statement reads.

Authorities said the Minnesota State Patrol conducted a crash reconstruction and a law enforcement investigation is ongoing.

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This story has been updated to correct the number of medical workers killed. Only one of the people killed was a medical worker, not two.