Driver Charged in Fatal Saint Paul Scooter Hit-and-Run
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A 21-year-old driver is charged after allegedly hitting a man riding a mobility scooter in Saint Paul and driving away, leaving the victim critically injured.
The crash happened around 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11, along Phalen Boulevard near Rose Avenue.
Erick Gabriel Fuentes-Morales, of Saint Paul, is charged with criminal vehicular homicide involving leaving the scene of a fatal collision. Prosecutors allege he caused the victim’s death by operating a motor vehicle, striking him and failing to immediately stop and remain at the scene as required by law.
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Officers arrived to find the victim, 66-year-old Donald J. Piele, lying on the roadway near debris from a black car and a damaged mobility scooter. Piele was unresponsive, actively experiencing a seizure and had a large dent in his head. Officers located his wallet among the debris and identified him at the scene. Investigators also recovered a silver Nissan emblem and vehicle parts indicating the striking vehicle was a 2013 or newer Nissan.
Medics transported Piele to a hospital in critical condition. He briefly regained consciousness, identified himself and told responders his only close family member was his mother, who suffered from dementia. Piele later died at the hospital on Feb. 12. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner later ruled the cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries caused by a motor vehicle striking his mobility scooter.
Surveillance video from a nearby Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension building showed Piele traveling through a crosswalk on his mobility scooter when a black sedan with white rims approached at a high rate of speed and struck him. The vehicle briefly stopped before continuing north on Phalen Boulevard.
READ MORE > Saint Paul coverage
Around 12:40 a.m. Feb. 13, officers located a black 2014 Nissan Sentra at a residence on Ivy Avenue East in Saint Paul and Fuentes-Morales was sitting in the driver’s seat. Police observed significant damage to the front passenger side consistent with the collision, and investigators said missing vehicle components matched debris recovered at the crash scene.
According to the complaint, Fuentes-Morales appeared nervous and was shivering when officers contacted him. After being advised of his rights, he agreed to speak with investigators and said he was the only person who drove the Sentra. He initially claimed the damage occurred days earlier when he struck a telephone pole and said he didn’t report it because it was his fault.
PREVIOUSLY: Man Riding Scooter Killed in Saint Paul Hit-and-Run
Investigators told him the crash had been captured on video. Fuentes-Morales nodded when officers said he knew he had been involved in a crash and should have called police. When asked whether he realized he struck a person, he looked away and avoided eye contact before later admitting he knew he had hit someone the night before, the documents say.
Fuentes-Morales told officers he wasn’t driving recklessly or impaired and said he did not see the victim until he was too close to avoid the collision. He estimated he was traveling about 34 mph. When asked whether he checked on the victim, he said he intended to but described the situation as “a long story,” according to investigators.
READ MORE > Ramsey County coverage
He told officers he finished work around 8 p.m. and spent roughly an hour sitting in his vehicle smoking marijuana and cigarettes before the crash. Officers later obtained a search warrant and collected a blood sample.
Court records show Fuentes-Morales was convicted of reckless driving in Ramsey County in October 2024 after being stopped for speeding and weaving across lane lines. Officers noted the odor of marijuana during that stop and other records show multiple speeding convictions in 2025, including driving 84 mph in a 65 mph zone in Goodhue County and separate Ramsey County citations for speeds of 80 mph and 70 mph in 55 mph zones. In one incident, Fuentes-Morales passed a marked Minnesota State Patrol squad and was also cited for running a red light in Ramsey County in December 2025.
A probation violation warrant issued in September 2025 in the reckless driving case was cleared by arrest Jan. 16, 2026, just weeks before the fatal crash.
The criminal vehicular homicide charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. Jail records show Fuentes-Morales was booked early Feb. 13 and remains in custody, pending his first court appearance set for Feb. 18.
