Charges: Drunken driver blew through stop sign, struck skateboarding teen

A driver struck a teenage boy on a skateboard in north Minneapolis on June 15, 2021. (FOX 9)

A 34-year-old Minneapolis man has been charged after police say he fatally struck a 16-year-old skateboarder with his SUV in north Minneapolis earlier this week.

Bobby Frank Brookins is charged with criminal vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol and criminal vehicular homicide with alcohol concentration greater than .08.

Family members and officials identified the 16-year-old victim as Dychaun Chew, an honor student at South High School.

The crash happened Wednesday night at the intersection of 51st Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North. Responders rushed Chew to a hospital, where he later passed away.

According to the charges, investigators learned Brookins was driving northbound on Fremont at about 55 mph and blew through a stop sign, hitting Chew, who was crossing the intersection on his skateboard.

The charges say Brookins continued driving after the crash and hit several parked vehicles, losing a wheel in the process, before finally coming to a stop in a front yard at 52nd Avenue North and Fremont Avenue North. The SUV had heavy damage, including a hole in the windshield.

The charges state Brookins was "visibly intoxicated," smelled of alcohol and recorded a .16 on a preliminary breath test. Results from a blood test are still pending.

Surveillance cameras from several nearby homes captured the incident on video. The charges state Brookins also admitted to witnesses and police that he hit the teen.

Brookins was previously convicted of DWI in August of 2019.