FOREST LAKE, MINNESOTA: Darisha Bailey Vath, 17, who died after allegedly being intentionally run over during a brawl between two groups of people in downtown Forest Lake early on Sunday, July 16 loved animals and aspired to become a veterinarian. Dylan Simmons, 20, was accused of driving the vehicle and has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide and third-degree murder as of Monday, July 17.
According to Forest Lake Police Department Capt Greg Weiss, Vath of Stacy, Minnesota, died after being hit by a Mazda 3 operated by Simmons of North Branch, at roughly 1:20 am on Sunday. He claimed the two were acquainted. Vath was receiving CPR from a bystander as numerous others surrounded her when police arrived at Lakeside Memorial Park on Broadway Avenue. She was pronounced dead at the site after emergency medical personnel failed to revive her, as reported by People.
Who was Darisha Bailey Vath?
Darisha Bailey Vath was a 17-year-old young girl from Stacy, Minnesota, who was killed in a parking lot altercation on July 16. A GoFundMe has been launched to assist Vath's family with their legal costs, where $9,846 was raised of the $25,000 goal. According to the page, Vath was a "vibrant" individual who dreamed of becoming a veterinarian after high school.
A criminal complaint acquired by the Star-Tribune and regional news station KARE11 claims that Simmons allegedly saw "two groups of individuals" fighting with a "baseball bat, a crowbar and a folding knife" when he arrived at a Forest Lake park. Then, according to the authorities, Simmons "intentionally drove in the direction of several people from the opposing side of the conflict" and ran into the back of a vehicle that was carrying 17-year-old Vath. Authorities claim that Simmons slammed her again with the car after she exited it, backed up, and then headed toward a crowd before speeding off.
A grieving Sarath Vath, Darisha's mother, said to the outlet, "I'll never see her again. Never hold her. Never be able to tell her I love her." Darisha's father Darius Bailey exclaimed, "I never wish any parent [to] have to see their child lay on the ground like that. It's going to be very hard to live with those memories in my head."
The Star-Tribune stated that Simmons later went back to the scene and allegedly told authorities he had intentionally run her over. Simmons’ bail has been set at $750,000. It's not known at this time if he has entered a plea or appointed a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
'The choices they made were premeditated'
According to the GoFundMe page: "On July 16, 2023, at approximately 1 am. We received the unbearable news that our beloved daughter/niece and cousin was taken from us through a senseless act of violence. That took her young life. Two adult males were involved in this senseless heinous crime. The crime they committed was a hit-and-run. The criminals used their car as a choice of weapon and intentionally hit our precious baby girl and killed her. Not only that they tried to hit her once, but 3 times."
It continued, "The third time resulted in her death. This was no accident this was murder in the first degree. Their actions were filled with rage and malice. This was caused by her ex-boyfriend and his friend's actions. The driver of the vehicle admitted to hitting her with his car. He needs to be held accountable for his actions and wrongdoing. The driver is in custody awaiting trial. The passenger is off with no pending charges, and roaming the streets. The choices they made were premeditated."
"Darisha was looking forward to graduating in the Spring of 2024. Her biggest dream after graduating was to become a veterinarian. All those dreams have been shattered, because of these violent men. We will never see our daughter, niece, sister and cousin fulfill her future. We want all who are involved to be held accountable for their actions and not have a family go through the heartache we went through. We will never see our vibrant, precious baby girl again," the page added.
