Police in Wisconsin are trying to determine why a Minneapolis cab driver jumped from his cab before it crashed, and why his passenger ran from the scene.

Baldwin police say a Blue and White cab crashed into a light pole and then hit a parked car in the Greenfield Elementary School parking lot around 6:40 p.m. Sunday.

Responding officers found the driver, Abdi Mohamed Askar, 38, lying on the sidewalk.

People who witnessed the crash followed the passenger when he ran away. Police caught up with him two blocks away and arrested him for leaving the scene of an accident.

The investigation has led police to believe the cab was speeding before the crash. They also believe Askar jumped from the moving vehicle before it hit the light pole.

They don’t know why. Askar is in critical condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. He’s unconscious and therefore unable to answer investigators’ questions.

Investigators do know that Askar picked up the fare in Minneapolis.

Investigators plan to search his cab Wednesday.

A company supervisor at Blue and White Taxi in Minneapolis described Askar as a mild-mannered, polite driver.

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