Interrogation, 911 Tapes Released In Fatal 'U' Hit-And-Run
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – More details are emerging about the night Timothy Bakdash ran down four University of Minnesota students and killed one last April.
On Tuesday, he was found guilty of second-degree murder and attempted murder, and on Thursday, interrogation tapes and 911 calls came out, which shed new light on the crime.
A female friend of Van Handel's was walking with him that night on 5th St. Southeast. She's the one who made the 911 call for help. Witnesses recalled a car going the wrong way down the street, jumping the curb and heading down the sidewalk. Van Handel and his friend were hit.
"There's two people. There's a guy and girl. They got hit full speed by a car. No, there's three people," said the female friend on the 911 call.
The college students never saw the car coming.
"It was a car going down the one-way street and knocked two people over," said the caller. "I need an ambulance right now."
One student hurt her leg. Another in a group suffered a concussion. But Ben Van Handel's injuries were much more severe.
"Is he conscious?" asked the 911 operator.
"To me, ah, he's not. He's breathing, but he's not talking to me," said the caller.
Van Handel was carried on the car's hood. He flew into the air, hit his head on a pole, and landed in the intersection.
"Oh, my God," said the caller.
"Hang on," said the dispatcher. "Stay on the phone with me."
"Hurry to me," said the caller.
Witnesses described the car that hit the students. Police got other tips too. A man claimed he overheard Bakdash talking with his mother about getting rid of the car that night. The windshield was smashed.
Bakdash played dumb while being interrogated. He told police he didn't know anything about the fatal hit-and-run.
Here's a segment of the beginning of the interrogation:
Bakdash: "I'm wondering what the heck, what's going on?"
Investigator: "It's about the accident at the 'U.'"
Bakdash: "I'm being blamed for it?"
"Well, that's what we got to talk about," said the investigator.
Watch the video above for more on the interrogation tapes.
Bakdash could spend 25 years in prison for Ben Van Handel's death. He was found guilty on 9 of 12 counts earlier this week and will be sentenced in a month.
