ST. CLOUD, MN — A tragic series of events late Wednesday night resulted in the deaths of Suleiman Abdi, 59, and Craig Hennen, 45, both residents of St. Cloud, following a high-speed crash that stemmed from an attempted traffic stop. The fatal collision has left the community in mourning and raised serious questions about reckless driving and the consequences of evading law enforcement.
According to the St. Cloud Police Department, the chain of events began just before 11:45 p.m. when officers attempted to stop a commercial truck that was speeding along Ninth Avenue South with its headlights off. As the officer approached the vehicle after it came to a brief stop, the driver reportedly tossed a firearm out of the window and then fled at high speed, initiating a dangerous pursuit.
Out of an abundance of caution, officers decided not to pursue the truck aggressively and instead focused on securing the discarded firearm, which was later confirmed to be a gun. Unfortunately, while officers were still managing the scene, they were alerted to a violent collision just blocks away in the 1300 block of 10th Avenue North.
That crash involved the same fleeing truck, which had continued traveling at a dangerously high speed before slamming into the side of another vehicle. The impact was devastating. Suleiman Abdi and Craig Hennen, the two occupants of the struck car, were both pronounced dead at the scene. Their sudden and violent deaths have shaken the local community and drawn an outpouring of grief.
The driver of the truck—a 26-year-old man from Sauk Rapids—was critically injured in the crash and remains hospitalized. His identity has not been formally released as of Thursday afternoon, but law enforcement officials have confirmed he is under investigation for multiple serious offenses.
“This is a heartbreaking and preventable tragedy,” said a spokesperson from the St. Cloud Police Department. “Two innocent lives were lost due to reckless actions, and we are committed to uncovering every detail surrounding this incident.”
The case is still under active investigation, and authorities have indicated that charges are likely pending once the suspect is stable enough for questioning. The police department is also reviewing the timeline and handling of the original traffic stop as part of standard procedure in cases involving fatalities.
As the St. Cloud community grapples with the sudden loss of two of its members, friends and neighbors have begun to pay tribute to Suleiman Abdi and Craig Hennen—remembering them as kind, hardworking individuals who were taken far too soon.
