Truck driver charged months after driving into crowd of protesters
The driver of a tanker truck that drove into a large crowd of protesters in Minneapolis in May is now being charged with two crimes – a felony count of threats of violence and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation.
On May 31, Bogdan Vechirko drove his truck into a crowd of protesters on I-35W, where he was then pulled out of his truck and beaten before bystanders stepped in to help. No protesters were seriously injured in the incident. The section of I-35 where Vechirko encountered the protesters had been closed, but he got to the area before state officials had a chance to barricade it.
At the time of the incident, Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said an ongoing investigation had not revealed any evidence to suggest that Vechirko intended to drive toward the crowd. He was released without charges.
