MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | State Patrol Searches For Driver In Fatal Highway 252 Hit-And-Run That Killed 25-Year-Old Woman In Brooklyn Park

BROOKLYN PARK, MN (May 21, 2026) In the darkness along Highway 252 early Tuesday morning, two people stood on the shoulder trying to persuade a young woman to get inside their vehicle.

Moments later, according to investigators, a speeding SUV drifted toward the edge of the roadway and struck her.

Then it disappeared into the night.

Now, nearly three days after the fatal collision, the Minnesota State Patrol has launched an intensive search for the driver responsible in a hit-and-run investigation that has left a Twin Cities family grieving and law enforcement authorities urgently appealing for public assistance.

The victim has been identified as 25-year-old Amiah Armstrong Walker.

According to the official State Patrol incident report, the collision occurred at approximately 1:22 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, along southbound Highway 252 between Brookdale Avenue and 73rd Avenue North in Brooklyn Park.

Investigators say Walker was walking southbound along the right shoulder of the highway when two acquaintances, who had stopped separately along the roadside, were attempting to convince her to enter their vehicle.

Authorities say that during those interactions, a dark gray SUV traveling southbound in the right lane at what investigators described as a high rate of speed veered near the shoulder and struck Walker before continuing southbound without stopping.

Emergency medical personnel from North EMS, along with officers from the Brooklyn Park Police Department and Brooklyn Center Police Department, responded to the scene shortly after the impact.

Walker was pronounced dead at the scene.

Investigators noted that roadway conditions were wet at the time of the collision. Authorities have additionally stated that alcohol is suspected to be a contributing factor in the incident, though officials have not publicly clarified whether that suspicion relates to the driver, the victim, or other circumstances surrounding the crash.

As the investigation has progressed, authorities have narrowed their search to a specific vehicle profile based on evidence and debris recovered at the scene.

Law enforcement officials say they are actively searching for a dark gray 2016-2019 Toyota RAV4 believed to have sustained substantial passenger-side damage during the collision.

According to investigators, the suspect vehicle is expected to display:

• Severe front passenger-side bumper damage
• A completely missing passenger-side mirror
• A missing front passenger-side fog lamp
• Additional visible passenger-side exterior damage, including possible damage to the rain guard area

Authorities believe the SUV likely sustained significant impact force and may now be undergoing repairs or concealed somewhere within the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

The Minnesota State Patrol is now urging auto body repair businesses, towing operators, mechanics, parts suppliers, salvage yards, and residents throughout the metro area to remain alert for any vehicle matching the description released publicly by investigators.

Law enforcement officials are also requesting dashcam footage, residential surveillance recordings, and commercial security video from the Highway 252 corridor between approximately 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the State Patrol at (763) 279-4559.

Anonymous tips may additionally be submitted through investigative channels operated by the Brooklyn Park Police Department.

The fatal collision has again drawn renewed attention to the long-running safety concerns surrounding Highway 252, one of the Twin Cities region’s busiest and most debated transportation corridors.

Stretching through portions of Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park before connecting northward into Interstate 94, Highway 252 has historically experienced high crash volumes, speeding concerns, pedestrian access challenges, and repeated calls for major infrastructure redesign.

State transportation officials have spent years studying long-term proposals aimed at converting portions of the corridor into a freeway-style system with expanded interchanges, reduced conflict points, and additional safety infrastructure intended to reduce serious crashes.

Pedestrian fatalities continue to represent a growing concern both statewide and nationally.

According to data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, pedestrian deaths across Minnesota have fluctuated upward in recent years amid broader increases in traffic fatalities tied to speeding, impaired driving, distracted driving, and dangerous nighttime roadway conditions.

Hit-and-run cases often become especially difficult for investigators because critical evidence can quickly disappear if damaged vehicles are repaired, hidden, dismantled, or abandoned before identification occurs.

In many cases, authorities depend heavily on public cooperation, surveillance systems, debris analysis, and tip submissions to identify fleeing drivers.

For Walker’s family and those who knew her, the unanswered questions now extend beyond the collision itself.

Who was behind the wheel.

Why the driver fled.

And whether someone, somewhere across the Twin Cities metro, already recognizes the damaged SUV authorities say may hold the final missing piece of the investigation.

Anyone with information regarding the crash or the suspect vehicle is urged to contact the Minnesota State Patrol at (763) 279-4559 immediately.

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