Four people were taken to the hospital Friday afternoon following a St. Paul crash that involved two vehicles traveling in the same direction at high rates of speed.

According to Sgt. Paul Paulos of the St. Paul Police Department, two vehicles were speeding east in both lanes on Minnehaha Avenue approaching Kennard Street when one of the cars lost control and went airborne. The car remained flipped on its roof in the middle of Minnehaha on Friday night.

One person was ejected from the vehicle. All three people in that vehicle were transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Their conditions were unknown Friday night.

The other vehicle pulled over after the crash. The driver was taken to Regions with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver was to be arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation.

The police were interviewing witnesses Friday night as part of their investigation. More information about the crash and those injured is expected Saturday.

The vehicles were going at a "high rate of speed" in both the east and westbound lanes, but as of Friday night the department hadn't categorized the crash as being the result of street racing, Paulos said.

Street racing has been around in St. Paul for decades and has been particularly popular in the Midway area, which has open industrial spaces.

During the summer of 2009, a 39-year-old man was killed when a woman hit his car while fleeing police who were trying to clear spectators from a street race near University Avenue and Transfer Road.

The impact was so hard that his car went airborne and sheared a utility pole.

Nicole Norfleet • 612-673-4495; Twitter: @stribnorfleet