St. Paul police arrest suspect in St. Thomas hit-and-run

Nov. 29--St. Paul police said Friday they have arrested a St. Paul woman in a Sunday hit-and-run that left two University of St. Thomas students in critical condition.

Latocha Thomas, 40, has also been cited five times since 2001 for failing to carry proof of insurance and once for failing to stop at a stop sign, according to state records.

Investigators are determining whether the hit-and-run was intentional or accidental, according to St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Paul Paulos.

Rebekka L. Peterson of Farmington and Nicholas Bergeland of Wayzata, both 22 years old, were listed in critical condition at Regions Hospital earlier this week.

The undergraduate students were getting out of a cab in the 1900 block of Grand Avenue about 2 a.m. Sunday when a car hit them, according to police.

The driver fled, but police recovered the suspected car, a gray 2013 Mazda 3, later in the day in a parking lot in the 1700 block of Carroll Avenue.

The vehicle had damage consistent with the hit-and-run.

Before the arrest, the incident had been the third recent hit-and-run in which the driver had not been caught, Paulos said.

Therese "Tracy" Klotz, 53, died Nov. 1 after she was struck by a large Lexus four-door sedan in the 700 block of Randolph Avenue.

Police are seeking information about another hit-and-run incident that critically injured Wade Souster, 31, on Oct. 3.

Police ask anyone with information regarding the accidents to contact the traffic unit at 651-266-5722.

Joseph Lindberg can be reached at 651-228-5513. Follow him at twitter.com/JosephLindberg.

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