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Brooklyn Park hit-and-run: Man charged with criminal vehicular homicide

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Published  May 21, 2026 4:56 PM CDT
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 9
article

Map of deadly pedestrian hit-and-run in Brooklyn Park.  (FOX 9)

The Brief

    • A woman's death has led to criminal vehicular homicide charges for a man accused of committing a fatal hit-and-run.
    • The criminal complaint states the woman stepped out of a vehicle during an argument and was fatally struck on Highway 252 in Brooklyn Park.
    • Investigators say traffic cameras tracked the suspect's vehicle movements and saw it did not have front-end damage before the time of the crash, but that it did after.

BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man is charged with criminal vehicular homicide for a hit-and-run crash in Brooklyn Park that left a woman dead.

Ryant Tarnue Freeman, 23, of Brooklyn Park, is accused of fatally striking a 25-year-old woman with a Toyota Rav4 on Highway 252. 

READ MORE: Brooklyn Park hit-and-run: Woman killed while walking along Highway 252

Fatal hit-and-run in Brooklyn Park 

The crash:

The criminal complaint states troopers from the Minnesota State Patrol responded to the area of Highway 252 and 73rd Avenue in Brooklyn Park at about 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Troopers then found that a 25-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle that was southbound on Highway 252.

Investigators determined the woman was a passenger inside a car before she got out during an argument.

Other occupants of that car reportedly tried to convince the woman to get back in when she was standing near the fog line. It was during that time that she was struck by a passing vehicle that continued south after she was hit.

Troopers reported finding pieces of a dark gray vehicle at the scene, including parts with serial numbers linked to a 2016-2019 Toyota Rav4. Investigators believe the suspect vehicle had damage to the front bumper, passenger side mirror, fog lamp and a rain guard. 

The investigation:

Authorities say traffic cameras did not capture the crash itself, but footage showed a dark Toyota Rav4 near the scene before and after the crash. 

The vehicle was seen at several points along Highway 252 and Interstate 94 between 1:21 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., with the passenger headlights going out after the crash. 

The complaint states cameras lost sight of the vehicle at Interstate 94 and Lowry Avenue. 

Later, a license plate reader in Minneapolis picked up a gray 2017 Toyota Rav4 with front passenger damage at around 4 a.m. on May 19.

The arrest:

The complaint states that officers found the suspect vehicle parked at Emerald Pond Park in Ramsey. 

Freeman was found sleeping in the back with his cat. Officers noted the car’s damage matched what troopers described at the crash scene.

Freeman reportedly admitted driving the car the previous night, but denied hitting anything. He claimed the damage had been there for a while and suggested that the car might have been stolen.

The Source: This story uses information gathered from a criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County Court and previous FOX 9 reporting. 

Crime and Public SafetyRoad incidentsBrooklyn Park