Quantelize Welch Charged With Murder In Minneapolis Hit-And-Run

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Minneapolis man faces a murder charge after three witnesses identified him as the driver of an SUV that struck and killed a man in an alleyway last week.

Quantelize Welch, 31, is charged with second-degree murder, according to a criminal complaint.

The complaint states police responded to a reported hit-and-run the 3100 block of Queen Avenue North July 20. They found a man who had suffered "major injuries" after being hit by a car while riding a dirt bike. He later died at a hospital.

On the day of the hit-and-run, police said they believed a driver struck the man purposefully. The case was assigned to the Minneapolis Police Department's homicide unit.

Witnesses told police they saw the victim drive a dirt bike into the alley, followed closely by a white SUV. Witnesses also said they saw the SUV hit the man on the bike before speeding away.

Investigators spoke with the owner of the SUV used in the hit-and-run, who said he was giving a ride to a man he knew as "Zeast Man" or "Beast Man" three days before the incident. The man drove away in the SUV, saying he would be back shortly, but never returned.

With that witness' description, police used law enforcement databases to identify Welch as the suspect driver. The SUV owner and two other witnesses, both of whom said they knew the driver as a staple in the neighborhood, identified Welch via a photo lineup.

The SUV was found near 33rd Avenue and Sixth Street in north Minneapolis, with damage to the bumper, according to the complaint.

Welch is in custody.