Police have identified the two men who died after crashing the car they stole from a Lyft driver in St. Cloud early Tuesday.
David A. Isaacs, 42, of St. Cloud, is believed to have been driving the car when it crashed, police said. Isaacs died later at St. Cloud Hospital. His accomplice, James M. Parkos, 46, of Sauk Rapids, died at the scene.
According to police, the incident began around 1 a.m. Tuesday when a 46-year-old Lyft driver picked up the men near Cash Wise Foods in St. Cloud. About 2½ miles later, one of the men sitting in the back of the car grabbed the steering wheel and sent the vehicle veering off the road. The driver pulled over and stopped.
After the same man pulled the driver backward and threatened to kill him, the driver got out and called police. The two passengers sped off in the car.
Minutes later, a Sherburne County sheriff's deputy on County Road 8 spotted the vehicle speeding by at more than 100 mph. The deputy, unaware that the vehicle was stolen, pursued. About 45 seconds later, as he approached a curve, he saw smoke from the wrecked vehicle on the south side of the road near the intersection with 57th Street SE.
Staff report
