Saturday crash in Brooklyn Park leaves 1 dead, 1 in custody

Police say one person is dead after a crash in Brooklyn Park early Saturday evening.

According to Brooklyn Park police, officers came across a crash site on the 7000 block of 68th Avenue North around 7:20 p.m. There, they found a vehicle with two adults inside had gone off the road and hit a tree.

Both adults had to be extricated from the vehicle due to the severity of the crash, and were then taken to an area hospital, where the passenger died, police said on Sunday. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified the deceased on Monday as 50-year-old Lamont Cortez Cunningham of Minneapolis.

Police say the driver — identified Monday as a 44-year-old Minneapolis man — is being detained at the hospital for suspected criminal vehicular homicide. His condition hasn’t been released.

On Monday morning, police said they believe the vehicle was headed east on 68th Avenue North and wasn’t able to go around a curve in the roadway, causing it to hit a tree.

Police add evidence indicated the driver was impaired, and blood taken from the driver is being analyzed by the Minnesota BCA.