A University of Minnesota student was struck by a car Thursday while biking near campus.
Baruk Ibrahim was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center after being hit while biking the wrong way Thursday night on Fourth Street Southeast, according to a Minneapolis police report.
Ibrahim said he has undergone three surgeries to repair his broken right leg. He said he and a friend biked to Lunds grocery store in Northeast Minneapolis to buy food for an end-of-semester party.
As the driver headed north on 10th Avenue with a green light, he struck Ibrahim, who was biking against traffic on Fourth Street.
The driver told police that he saw one bicyclist and slowed down at the green light but did not see Ibrahim. Ibrahim rolled onto the carâÄôs windshield and down onto the pavement, according to the report.
Police do not suspect the driver was impaired, Minneapolis police Sgt. Steve McCarty said.
The accident is the latest in a string of car-pedestrian accidents in the area. University student Audrey Hull was hit and killed outside McDonaldâÄôs by a semitruck while riding her bike April 21. Another University student, Ben Van Handel, died a week after a hit-and-run near Dinkytown. Roseville, Minn., resident Timothy Bakdash, 29, was indicted on charges of first-degree murder in connection with the accident.
Como cars sitting on flats
Cody Hughs was at his home on 16th Avenue Southeast when he heard a strange noise around 3:30 a.m.
âÄúI heard what sounded like air, you know, just air seeping out of something,âÄù Hughs said. âÄúI looked out the window and saw two white, young men walking away from a vehicle that had four flat tires.âÄù
Hughs tried to follow the suspects but quickly lost sight of them.
The car, which belongs to 41-year-old Peter Grotans, was one of at least eight cars in Southeast Como that had its tires slashed early May 14, according to Minneapolis police reports.
Police told the victims of tire-slashing vandals that the suspects may have been targeting SUVs. McCarty could not say for certain the same suspects were responsible for every crime.
Grotans said it would cost about $1,000 to replace his tires.
He and others reported seeing other cars in the area sitting on flat tires. Only eight people filed reports with Minneapolis police.
âÄúAll I know is there was a lot of damage done to a lot of vehicles that evening,âÄù Grotans said.
Most victims found the damage when they walked out to their cars later Saturday morning.
Nick Davis, a University of Minnesota student, didnâÄôt know his four tires had been punctured until he received a call from a friend. He had his car towed to his home in Wayzata, Minn. His insurance covered the $800 to replace his tires.
Hughs is the only person who was able to give police a description of the suspects.
Due to a lack of information, there is not an ongoing investigation, McCarty said.
He recommended car owners park in a garage or under street lights whenever possible to deter criminals.
-Katherine Lymn and Sally Hunter contributed to this report.