Winnipeg police say that the Chevy Avalanche that crushed a cab and killed its driver last weekend had seven passengers. On Tuesday police arrested and charged five of them, all youths.
Three of the passengers in the stolen SUV are still listed in serious condition; one girl was released from hospital Monday.
Although known to police, investigators say none of the suspects appears to have a history with auto theft.
Hit and run search
Winnipeg police are still searching for a driver who ran over one of the passangers on Portage Avenue early Saturday morning.
The hit-and-run happened just after Saturday's deadly crash; where a stolen SUV rammed a Winnipeg taxi, killing the driver Tony Lanzellotti.
Police say one of the passengers in the SUV was thrown from the vehicle into the street. At some point shortly thereafter he was run down.
A witness at the scene says the hit-and-run driver was too busy looking at the crash to realize there was someone crawling on the street.
"The couple actually got out of the car - looked at the guy they had run over, and then took off," he told CTV News. "I went and put my coat over him - he was all shaking and broken."
Police want the driver in the hit-and-run to turn himself in to 'assist with the investigation.' They are looking for a dark red or maroon coloured sedan, similar in make to an older model Dodge Neon. They say the car probably has visible damage, after striking both the man and the median. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Central Traffic Unit at 986-6271 or the Stolen Auto Unit at 986-6230.
On Monday the hit and run victim was still listed in critical condition.
The taxi involved in the initial crash had one passenger, who was treated and released from hospital Sunday.
Speed killed
Police say that crash happened around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Maryland Street. They say the stolen SUV was driving west 'at a high rate of speed,' on Portage Avenue when it hit the taxi that was headed south on Maryland Street.
According to police, the SUV hit the taxi on the driver's side - pushing it for half a block, and then throwing it over the centre median. The two vehicles came to rest on the south sidewalk of Portage Avenue. A witness at the scene says the SUV was going over 100 km/h when it crashed.
"The SUV ran the red [light] going about 120 km/h," he told CTV News. "It actually ran over the top of the cab, did a front flip, and then the two vehicles barrel-rolled."
