Teen On Phone Blew Stop Sign At 63 MPH, Killing 11-Year-Old Girl In West Metro: Police

HENNEPIN COUNTY, MN — An 18-year-old from St. Paul is accused of blowing through a stop sign while using his cell phone, crashing into an SUV and killing an 11-year-old girl, according to prosecutors.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office on Monday charged Conner Michael Iversen with one count of criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the February crash that killed Lilyana Loycano.

If convicted, Iversen faces 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

"After this case was submitted to our office in mid-July, we conducted a thorough review and are confident in our charging decision," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement.

"Lilyana should still be with her family. This terrible incident serves as another reminder of the devastating impact dangerous driving has on our communities."

The crash happened on Feb. 26 around 8:15 a.m. at the intersection of County Road 6 and County Road 83 in Independence, a four-way stop.

According to the criminal complaint, officers arrived to find a GMC Acadia in the southwest corner of County Road 6 and County Road 110. The Acadia, carrying six passengers, had been driven into by a 2007 GMC Sierra driven by Iversen, police said.

An 11-year-old girl in the Acadia’s third row was found bleeding from the head and suffering from what officers believed was a severe neck injury. She was taken to the Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis, where she died.

A Dodge Ram was also involved in the collision.

Witnesses told police the Acadia had stopped at the sign and was in the process of entering the intersection when Iversen’s Sierra entered without stopping and struck it, pushing the SUV into the Dodge Ram. Multiple witnesses reported that Iversen did not slow down, according to the criminal complaint.

Crash reconstruction determined the primary cause was Iversen’s failure to stop for the posted stop sign, despite pre-warning signs, according to police.

Vehicle data showed he was traveling 63 mph in the one second before impact in a 50 mph zone, the criminal complaint states.

A search of Iversen’s phone records revealed he was using it in the moments leading up to the crash, investigators said