Fatal DUI suspect, in US illegally, released from Hennepin Co. Jail again

Ecuadorian man charged in crash faces criticism

A suspected drunk driver is sitting in Hennepin County jail facing several felony charges after a deadly crash, while White House officials say the Ecuadorian man is in the country illegally and blaming prosecutors for not charging him.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A man, who federal authorities say is in the country illegally, and was charged in a fatal DUI crash that happened last summer, has been released from jail again after posting bond.

Sources tell FOX 9 the man is not in ICE custody.

READ MORE: White House blasts Hennepin County, Democrats over immigrant drunk driving case

Fatal DUI suspect in US illegally released on bond

Timeline:

German Adriano Llangari Inga, an Ecuadorian national, was initially arrested after the deadly Minneapolis crash in August 2024. 

Inga was not initially charged for the crash and was released from jail. ICE officials say they issued a detention order for Inga, but Hennepin County Jail did not honor it. 

In a statement from the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, FOX 9 was told, "The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office works with all federal, state, and local partners on criminal investigations and to enforce criminal statutes. An ICE hold is not a judicially signed warrant and courts have determined they are unconstitutional."

Hennepin County prosecutors say they received Inga's toxicology report four months after the crash, which showed his blood alcohol levels were more than twice the legal limit. 

However, court documents show charges were not filed against him until May 2, nine months after the crash. He was then arrested on May 10. 

Dig deeper:

The reason for the delay in criminal charges is not clear, and a judge questioned prosecutors about the delay during a brief court appearance on Monday. 

The judge then set Inga’s bond at $200,000 with no conditions and $100,000 with conditions. Prosecutors said they wanted him to be held accountable in Hennepin County and fear he could be arrested by federal authorities if he posts bond.  

Court records show he was released from jail Tuesday night and is not in ICE custody, according to sources speaking to FOX 9's Paul Blume. 

FOX 9 was told, once again, that ICE filed a detainer for Inga, but it was not honored by Hennepin County Jail. 

His next court appearance is set for the morning of June 11, 2025. 

What they're saying:

The White House released a statement on Monday criticizing Hennepin County authorities, saying, "An illegal immigrant drove drunk, killed an innocent mother and was on the run because Democrats didn’t do their most important job: protect their constituents."

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office stood by their process, saying, "Mr. Llangari Inga’s case was handled the way all cases are handled when toxicology reports are necessary to complete an investigation and submit a case. After the incident occurred in August 2024, Minneapolis police waited until they had the results of the toxicology report to submit the case to us, as is appropriate and common."

Policy Director for the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota argued that, "The jails are not allowed to hold somebody for ICE if the jail would not otherwise be holding that person. That is asking the local jurisdiction to do immigration enforcement’s job for them, and the local jurisdiction – that is not the local jurisdiction’s job."