A driver in Maplewood struck a man who was blocking his path with a Jeep Grand Cherokee, then left the scene without stopping, according to the complaint.
Isaiah Christopher Graham, 25, faces a felony charge of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and a gross misdemeanor charge of criminal vehicular operation resulting in bodily harm for leaving the scene of a collision.
At about 9:20 a.m. on October 16, officers responded to a hit-and-run on a blocked roadway in Maplewood. Police found the victim lying on his back with road rash on his right leg and a cut to his right hand. The victim was alert and told officers that a blue Jeep Grand Cherokee had tried to drive offroad through a yard because the road was blocked by a construction truck.
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The victim stood in front of the Jeep with his arms up and told the driver, later identified as Graham, that he could not drive through the yard.
The complaint says Graham and the victim spoke for about four minutes, with Graham repeatedly saying he needed to leave and the victim insisting the truck be moved. Graham appeared to take a photo of the victim through the windshield. At the end of the conversation, Graham said, “I need to go,” turned the tires to the right and drove directly toward the victim, striking him and sending him flying through the air. Officers found tire tracks going from the roadway through the front yard.
Witnesses and workers in the area told police they saw the victim standing next to the Jeep talking to the driver. One witness saw the victim get in front of the Jeep, which then backed up and drove onto the grass. The witness saw the victim’s head dive down onto the driveway and roll on the ground but did not see the actual impact.
Another worker said he tried to flag Graham down to stop due to the roadwork, but Graham swerved around him, driving into the wrong lane and nearly hitting a steamroller. A third witness said the Jeep pulled up to the blocked road, the victim told Graham to turn around and after a conversation, Graham drove around the victim onto the grass. This witness thought the victim may have held onto the Jeep as it drove around him.
Officers later found and towed the Jeep. During a phone call with investigators, Graham said he had been making deliveries since the night before and was following GPS directions when he encountered the blocked road. Graham said he waited for someone to move the truck, honked his horn and asked a man in a yellow vest to move it.
Graham claimed the man would not let him drive on the grass and began recording the interaction. Graham told police he was in fear for his life and was just trying to get away, claiming the man threatened to break his windshield. Graham denied hitting the man, saying the man jumped on the hood, tried to punch him and fell off. Graham also said the man tried to grab the wheel and that he drove off in fear.
Graham provided police with a video of the incident. The video shows the victim standing directly in front of the Jeep, with Graham telling him to move and the victim refusing. The victim appeared to have his forearms resting on the hood and threatened that Graham would get a broken windshield.
Graham turned the steering wheel, the victim knelt down in front of the Jeep and Graham said, “I need to go.” The camera then jolted as Graham accelerated, followed by a loud noise and the victim yelping in pain.
The charges were filed October 26 in Ramsey County District Court.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; Ramsey County Community Corrections operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
