A 22-year-old St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to being drunk when he crashed his SUV near the light rail Green Line and injuring a man who then died on his 21st birthday.

Kanyi L. Williams entered his plea least week to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with the wreck on March 30 that killed DeShawn L. Perry Jr.

Williams' plea in Ramsey County District Court calls for a term of four years, with the first two-thirds served in prison and the balance on supervised release. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 6.

Perry, who was born on April 2, 1997, was among four passengers in the SUV driven by Williams that hit a utility pole along University Avenue near Chatsworth Street. The wreck near the Green Line halted rail service for more than three hours.

Williams and three others in the vehicle, all from St. Paul, were injured. The others were Lamar D. Rodriguez, 20, Brian Trnka, 22, and Amber Schochet, 16.

Police gave Williams a preliminary breath test soon after the crash, and his blood alcohol content was measured at just below 0.12 percent, above the legal limit for driving in Minnesota.

DeShawn L. Perry Jr.

He told investigators that he had "consumed several glasses of a hard-liquor mix" before driving, according to the criminal complaint.

Metro Transit video revealed that the eastbound SUV swerved while passing other vehicles and changing lanes before Williams overcorrected and struck the pole, the complaint continued.

Williams told officers that he saw another vehicle enter his lane and "freaked out," the charges read.

"He said he had failed his friends and deserves whatever punishment he receives," the complaint noted.

Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482