Blaine man pleads guilty to high-speed St. Anthony crash that injured 2

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
·4 min read

A Blaine man admitted Wednesday that he was drunk and driving more than 100 mph when he crashed into an SUV last fall in St. Anthony, seriously injuring the 21-year-old driver and her young brother.

Matthew Sukhram, 19, pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to two counts of criminal vehicular operation while under the influence of alcohol — one for causing great-bodily harm, the other for causing substantial bodily harm — in connection with the Sept. 16 crash at Minnesota 88 and 29th Avenue Northeast.

The driver of the SUV that Sukhram crashed into and her preteen brother were hospitalized and both diagnosed with bleeding on the brain. Two days later, the woman no longer needed a ventilator to breathe, while the condition of the boy was described as “hour by hour,” the charges say.

The boy was also diagnosed with extensive internal injuries to his liver, spleen and kidneys, and he had surgery to remove part of his stomach.

Sukhram was hospitalized with a broken pelvis and a fractured spine.

Sukhram entered a Norgaard plea, stating that he could not remember the circumstances of the crash because of his intoxication but that he reasonably believed the prosecution had sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction.

Because Sukhram has no prior felony convictions, state sentencing guidelines call for probation. In exchange for the guilty plea, prosecutors agreed to seek no more than 240 days in jail on each count. Sukhram’s attorney will be allowed to argue for less jail time and concurrent probationary sentences. He is scheduled to be sentenced April 24.

Court records show that Sukhram was stopped and cited for speeding in Blaine about seven hours before the crash. He’s been convicted of speeding four times since July 2021.

He fled police

According to the criminal complaint filed in the crash:

A Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy around 10:45 p.m. saw Sukhram driving a 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee on Interstate 35W south near Mounds View Boulevard at more than 100 mph. The deputy turned on his emergency lights and siren to initiate a traffic stop, but Sukhram made multiple lane changes and swerved around other vehicles.

Near Interstate 694, Sukhram turned off his headlights as he continued to flee at speeds of around 120 mph. Sukhram exited onto County Road D West. Once the deputy realized he had lost sight of the Jeep, he turned off his squad lights and siren.

A St. Anthony police officer then saw the Jeep drive past south on Highway 88 from County Road D without headlights. No squad was actively pursuing the speeding vehicle, the complaint notes.

Moments later, Sukhram crashed into the other vehicle, a 2023 Honda HR-V, which was on its side when law enforcement arrived on scene. Sukhram’s Jeep was fully engulfed in flames in the median about 100 yards south of the impact site. Car parts were strewn 150 to 200 yards from the point of impact.

Sukhram was lying on the ground near his Jeep. He smelled of alcohol, and a preliminary breath test showed his blood alcohol content was 0.093 percent.

The woman was unconscious and had to be extracted through the broken windshield.

The boy was found in the back of the Honda. “The pediatric doctor told police (the boy) was the worst pediatric case she had seen,” the complaint states.

‘I ran from the cops’

In an interview, Sukhram said he met his sister and her friends at a restaurant and that he only had chips and queso. He said he had two drinks of Tito’s vodka before noon the day of the crash, but stopped drinking.

When asked what he recalled, Sukhram said, “I ran from the cops,” the complaint states. He acknowledged seeing the squad lights and hearing the siren. He said his sister called him during the chase and asked, “What the (expletive) are you doing?”

Sukhram said he recalled turning off his lights to evade law enforcement and that squads were not right behind him at the time of the crash.

Sukhram never asked about the condition of the people in the car he struck, according to the complaint.

‘Deepest apologies’

On Wednesday, Sukhram appeared in court in a wheelchair and wore a gray suit and blue tie. His parents sat in the courtroom’s gallery.

The crash victims did not attend the hearing.

Judge DeAnne Hilgers asked Assistant Ramsey County Attorney Ryan Flynn how the victims and their family feel about the plea deal. Flynn said he discussed it with their attorney, who is preparing a civil lawsuit.

“From speaking with their attorney, (the victims’ family) seemed very frustrated that the presumptive sentence only allows for the stay of execution,” he said.

Attorney Nicole Kettwick, who is representing Sukhram, said in an emailed statement to the Pioneer Press afterward that he “extends his deepest apologies to all affected by his crime. He fully acknowledges that apologies alone cannot undo the harm caused, but he is committed to taking responsibility for his actions.”

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