Driver who hit Elyse Stern charged with felony hit and run, but not homicide

The driver who struck and killed 28-year-old Elyse Stern while she biked through the intersection of East Lake Street and Cedar Avenue South early Saturday morning has been charged with a felony hit-and-run count and DWI, but not criminal vehicular homicide.

THE BACKSTORY: Elyse Stern, 28, killed in Saturday morning bike accident at Lake Street and Cedar Avenue

As the criminal complain explains it, an intoxicated 27-year-old Juan Ricardo Hernandez-Campoceco was driving through the intersection westbound on Lake Street when Stern tried to pass through the intersection in front of him. But Hernandez-Campoceco didn’t see her and struck her with enough force to put a basketball-sized hole in his windshield. He then drove away from the scene before he was pulled over after an officer noticed his vehicle had massive front-end damage.

Stern wasn’t wearing a helmet and her bike had no lights.

HERE IS THE POLICE REPORT:

Complainant, Luis Porras, of the Minneapolis Police Department, has investigated the facts and circumstances of
this offense and believes the following establishes probable cause:
On or about March 30, 2013 at approximately 2:17 a.m., Minneapolis police responded to a hit and run accident at
the intersection of East Lake Street and Cedar Avenue South, Minneapolis, Hennepin County. Upon arrival,
officers immediately observed an adult female lying in the middle of Lake Street, about 70 feet west of Cedar
Avenue South. She was not breathing and there was a large pool of blood around her head. Officers identified a
witness who had called 911. This witness told officers that he had been behind the victim on eastbound Lake Street
when the light turned green. As he turned right onto Cedar Avenue going southbound, the victim turned left onto
northbound Cedar Avenue and he heard a loud noise. He immediately turned his vehicle around on Cedar Avenue
and observed the victim lying in the middle of the intersection.
As squads were responding to the scene, one of them encountered a green Chevrolet Monte Carlo going north on
Bloomington Avenue South. Officers observed that the vehicle had heavy front end damage that was consistent
with a recent collision. The front bumper was damaged and the entire windshield was shattered. Additionally there
was a hole in the windshield the size of a basketball. Officers stopped the vehicle on Franklin Avenue and
Bloomington Avenue South. There were three occupants. The driver, identified as

JUAN RICARDO HERNANDEZ-CAMPOCECO, Defendant herein appeared extremely intoxicated. When officers inquired as tothe cause of the damage to his vehicle, the Defendant stated “I hit a person, I’m not going to lie to you, I hit aperson.” JUAN RICARDO HERNANDEZ-CAMPOCECO CCN 13093839Defendant was taken into custody and transported to Minneapolis Chem Testing where he was read the ImpliedConsent Advisory and agreed to a blood test. Results of that test are pending.Your Complainant spoke with the other two occupants of the vehicle, who stated that they had been at El NuevoRodeo earlier in the evening and had left around 2:00 a.m. They were traveling westbound on Lake Street whenthey had the green light at Cedar Avenue South. As they went through the intersection, the collision occurred.Neither passenger was able to explain exactly what happened. One passenger stated that the Defendant stopped thecar briefly and then left the scene after stating that he had hit someone on a bicycle but it wasn’t his fault becausethe light for him was green.Your Complainant was finally able to interview the Defendant at approximately 4:15 p.m. on March 30th, as he had been unconscious when earlier attempts were made. The Defendant stated that he had six beers through the night,but that he did not feel too drunk when they left the club. The Defendant stated that he thought it was at theintersection of Lake Street and Bloomington Avenue South where he struck the bicyclist. Defendant further statedthe bicyclist had crossed in front of him. He further admitted that he knew he struck the person, but did not stopbecause his friends told him to keep going. He thought he had been traveling about 30 miles per hour