Roseville Police Chief Rick Mathwig spoke out at a press conference today regarding the charging of 52-year-old Enrico Taylor, of Minneapolis, in the hit-and-run accident of two U.S. Army recruiters this week in the city.
See our Patch video from the press conference.
During an impassioned five to 10 minute speech, Mathwig called Taylor "a predator among us," noting the Roseville Police Department has had numerous contacts with him. Those encounters have included theft and fraud allegations.
On Thursday, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged Taylor with three counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with Tuesday's accident shortly before 2 p.m.
According to a court complaint, Taylor was driving a Jeep SUV when he struck two U.S. Army recruiters as they were walking in the parking lot of Kohl's department store at the Roseville Crossroads Shopping Center.
One of the recruiters (age 29) was flipped over the Jeep as it struck him while the other, a 42-year-man, was stuck underneath the vehicle and dragged for nearly a mile as Taylor drove off.
Taylor allegedly drove his vehicle, with the Army recruiter screaming, from the shopping parking lot at 1651 County Road B2. Taylor reportedly stopped twice to try to free the man, failed, then kept on driving on. The severely injured recruiter was able to finally free himself from underneath the Jeep on Prior Avenue south of County Road B2.
The County Attorney's Office identified the downed and dragged recruiter by his initials TAT. Other media identified the badly injured recruiter as 42-year-old U.S, Army Sgt. Travis Torgerson, of Circle Pines.
The court complaint alleges that when TAT (Torgerson) was able to dislodge himself from the Jeep, Taylor continued to drive away.
Roseville Police dispatched to the scene located Taylor's Jeep in the parking lot of a nearby Motel 6; then found and arrested Taylor at a nearby car dealership.
In the complaint, Taylor said he hit the recruiters by accident, then kept driving because he panicked.
Initially, Taylor declined to talk to police about the incident, asking for an attorney,the complaint said. But about 10 minutes later, Taylor changed his mind , saying he was worried about the man he had hit and dragged.
Taylor also claimed he was turning up a hill and was blinded by the light as he turned the corner, according to the complaint. (At the press conference, police noted that Taylor is blind in one eye and doesn't have a driver's license).
But Mathwig, at Thursday's press conference, wasn't buying Taylor's apparent contrition. He called Taylor's comments feigned remorse.
Given Taylor's criminal past, Mathwig predicted Taylor will be back out on the streets in Minnesota's "catch and release" system.
"He (Taylor) will be a predator out there again," the chief predicted. "He will do it again."
According to the Ramsey County Attorney's complaint, Taylor said he didn't havei insurance on his vehicle and had a revoked driver's license.
See our Patch video from the press conference.
During an impassioned five to 10 minute speech, Mathwig called Taylor "a predator among us," noting the Roseville Police Department has had numerous contacts with him. Those encounters have included theft and fraud allegations.
On Thursday, the Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged Taylor with three counts of criminal vehicular operation in connection with Tuesday's accident shortly before 2 p.m.
According to a court complaint, Taylor was driving a Jeep SUV when he struck two U.S. Army recruiters as they were walking in the parking lot of Kohl's department store at the Roseville Crossroads Shopping Center.
One of the recruiters (age 29) was flipped over the Jeep as it struck him while the other, a 42-year-man, was stuck underneath the vehicle and dragged for nearly a mile as Taylor drove off.
Taylor allegedly drove his vehicle, with the Army recruiter screaming, from the shopping parking lot at 1651 County Road B2. Taylor reportedly stopped twice to try to free the man, failed, then kept on driving on. The severely injured recruiter was able to finally free himself from underneath the Jeep on Prior Avenue south of County Road B2.
The County Attorney's Office identified the downed and dragged recruiter by his initials TAT. Other media identified the badly injured recruiter as 42-year-old U.S, Army Sgt. Travis Torgerson, of Circle Pines.
The court complaint alleges that when TAT (Torgerson) was able to dislodge himself from the Jeep, Taylor continued to drive away.
Roseville Police dispatched to the scene located Taylor's Jeep in the parking lot of a nearby Motel 6; then found and arrested Taylor at a nearby car dealership.
In the complaint, Taylor said he hit the recruiters by accident, then kept driving because he panicked.
Initially, Taylor declined to talk to police about the incident, asking for an attorney,the complaint said. But about 10 minutes later, Taylor changed his mind , saying he was worried about the man he had hit and dragged.
Taylor also claimed he was turning up a hill and was blinded by the light as he turned the corner, according to the complaint. (At the press conference, police noted that Taylor is blind in one eye and doesn't have a driver's license).
But Mathwig, at Thursday's press conference, wasn't buying Taylor's apparent contrition. He called Taylor's comments feigned remorse.
Given Taylor's criminal past, Mathwig predicted Taylor will be back out on the streets in Minnesota's "catch and release" system.
"He (Taylor) will be a predator out there again," the chief predicted. "He will do it again."
According to the Ramsey County Attorney's complaint, Taylor said he didn't havei insurance on his vehicle and had a revoked driver's license.
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