Driver Was 4 Times Legal Limit Before Fatal Saint Paul Crash

May 28

A 25-year-old man has been charged in connection with a fatal crash earlier this month in Saint Paul that left one man dead and another seriously injured.

Prosecutors say August Wah was under the influence of alcohol when he crashed a Toyota Corolla into a tree on the 200 block of Cottage Avenue West just before 10 a.m. on May 9.

PREVIOUSLY: Driver Crashed into Tree, Left Dying Passenger Behind

Wah now faces two charges for criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular operation causing great bodily harm.

Responding officers found the car had crashed head-on into a tree, with a 34-year-old man pinned in the front passenger seat and a 53-year-old man lying partially in the back seat and across the front passenger’s lap. Both were taken to Regions Hospital in critical condition. The 53-year-old died of his injuries two days later.

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Two vodka bottles were found on the boulevard near the crash, one empty and the other about 80 percent consumed. Police noted there were no skid marks indicating an attempt to stop before the impact.

Witnesses reported seeing a bald Asian male in a pink graphic shirt exit the driver’s seat and walk away from the scene despite visible injuries. A second witness told officers the man lived nearby. Officers located Wah shirtless at his apartment at nearby and noted that he matched the suspect’s description. Wah had fresh injuries and smelled of alcohol, according to the complaint.

Wah’s grandfather confirmed Wah had been drinking earlier that morning. He said he met Wah outside after the crash and walked him back to the apartment.

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Four different witnesses later identified Wah as the person they saw exit the driver’s seat of the Toyota. Wah initially denied drinking but later admitted to consuming two beers and said he drove only because the others were intoxicated. Wah claimed the passenger had been interfering with the steering wheel, but the passenger later told investigators no one else had touched it and confirmed Wah was the driver.

Officers executed a search warrant and recovered Wah’s pink shirt in his bedroom along with beer cans in the trash. Wah provided a blood sample at 1:53 p.m., which later tested at a blood alcohol concentration of 0.37, over four times the legal limit.

Wah told police he knew the other men were seriously hurt but didn’t check on them or call for help. He claimed he mistook the gas pedal for the brake and described hearing a loud sound as the vehicle accelerated before impact. Investigators estimate Wah was traveling about 60 miles per hour when the crash occurred.

Wah was released from the hospital and taken into custody on Monday. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison on the vehicular homicide charge and up to five years on the charge involving great bodily harm.

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