Inset (left): John Brecount (Eden Prairie Police Department/Facebook). Inset (right): Somaia Kamawal (KSTP). Background: The scene of the collision that injured Somaia Kamawal (KSTP).
A Minnesota man has admitted he was responsible for a hit-and-run that seriously injured a little girl.
John Brecount, 65, pleaded guilty to causing a crash that resulted in great bodily harm and leaving the scene. The charges stem from a car crash on Aug. 21, 2025, that severely injured 2-year-old Somaia Kamawal. According to reporting by local ABC affiliate KSTP, Somaia was one of two children being carried in a wagon that was being pulled by their mother, Spogmai Kamawal, who also had her two other children with her.
According to a criminal complaint obtained by KSTP, Somaia suffered injuries including a traumatic brain injury, broken bones and lacerations to her spleen and kidney, which kept her hospitalized for more than a month.
Police said Kamawal and her four children were leaving a park in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, around 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 21, 2025, just after sunset. As they entered the marked crosswalk, two of Kamawal's children walked beside her while Somaia and her sibling rode in a wagon.
According to the complaint, one driver stopped to let the family cross the street, but another driver in a white sedan, later identified as Brecount, drove through without stopping. The car struck Kamawal and the two children in the wagon.
The day after the crash, Brecount called a police officer to ask about the incident. After the officer informed him that a child had been hospitalized, Brecount — a volunteer chaplain with the Eden Prairie Police Department and Fire Department — told the officer, "I think it was me."
Brecount reportedly told the officer he believed at the time that he had clipped a pedestrian sign, damaging his rearview mirror. After being read his rights, he told police he was driving while checking his phone and reading a text from his wife when he heard a "bump." He then texted his wife to tell her that he thought he hit something. Brecount admitted that he never stopped or called 911.
Police said cellphone data and surveillance video confirmed Brecount was using his phone at the time of the crash.
Brecount was charged by summons and was not booked into jail. He entered his guilty plea on Oct. 5, and his next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 7.