16-year-old killed in hit-and-run crash identified as Dychaun Chew

A family member has identified the boy who was struck and killed by a vehicle while skateboarding Tuesday night in north Minneapolis as 16-year-old Dychaun Lavonte Chew.

According to the Minneapolis Police Department, at 8:37 p.m., officers and the Minneapolis Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle hitting a child and then leaving the scene along the 5100 block of Fremont Avenue North.

Once officers arrived on the scene, they found Chew in critical condition lying in the road. Chew’s uncle said the teen was heading home from the skate park at the time of the crash.

Officers and fire personnel began providing life-saving aid until paramedics arrived. Other officers went down the road, located the suspect vehicle’s driver, and took him into custody, police said.

According to police, Chew was transported to North Memorial Medical Center where he later died.

Dedric Willis, Chew’s uncle, said his nephew was a smart kid who was "full of life." He had just celebrated his 16th birthday in April.

The preliminary investigation indicated that the suspect vehicle was traveling north on Fremont Avenue North and the teen was either walking or skateboarding west on 51st Avenue North, when they collided in the intersection.

The suspect vehicle continued north and struck several parked cars. The suspect vehicle continued north, attempted to turn onto 52nd Avenue North and left the road, stopping in a yard. That was where the suspect was later taken into custody.

Fluorescent paint marked the path the suspect’s vehicle took as he continued to drive up the street.

Tamekia Hayden, who lives on Fremont, said she heard a loud boom and ran outside.

"I heard people screaming and I looked to the right and I saw a body in the street," Hayden said. She then saw the driver had smashed into her husband’s black SUV.

"Pretty sure it’s totaled," she said.

Next door, Matthew Jensen and his wife had just returned home when the crash happened. Their video doorbell captured the moment the suspect ran into Hayden’s vehicle, as well as their own.

"Watching that video, you can see just how quickly that driver was going through the neighborhood here," Jensen said.

It appeared drugs or alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash, authorities said.

Several people who live on the block say people speed in the area. They hope the tragedy serves as a wakeup call.

"There’s so many kids in this neighborhood, walking around, skateboarding, riding their bikes," Jensen said.

Late Wednesday afternoon, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner identified Chew as the victim, saying the cause of the teen’s death was "multiple blunt force injuries" as a result of being struck by the car.