No Charges In Beating Of Trucker Who Drove Through Protest Crowd

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Sunday's terrifying scene on the Interstate 35W bridge, in which a trucker drove his fuel truck at 70 miles-per-hour toward a protest crowd and was subsequently wrenched from the cab and beaten, has so far resulted in no criminal charges — for anyone.

For now, that goes for the driver, as well the numerous people who were filmed and photographed attacking him both inside and outside his truck after it slowed to from its high-speed approach. No injuries were reported among the marchers.

The decision not to charge marchers was first reported by the Minnesota Star-Tribune, which quoted a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spokespon in clarifying that the scope of the agency's investigation is limited to "determin[ing] the intent of the truck driver."

The driver himself has indicated he doesn't want charges brought in connection to his own injuries, according to the report.

The investigation of the driver and his actions on Sunday — particularly, how and why he was able to drive onto a roadway that authorities had ordered closed to vehicle traffic during the outbreak of protests — remains under investigation. The speed at which the truck approached the crowd, which had swelled in the midst of protests over the killing of George Floyd, triggered a chaotic and violent scene as the marchers first fled before converging on the truck.

"This was an incredibly dangerous thing to do, 70 miles-an-hour, heading into a crowd," State Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said during a news conference Tuesday. "This could have been a multiple fatality incident, in which case we'd be talking about criminal vehicular operation. Then, regardless of intent at that point, we would still be looking at a very serious charge."

But, as far as the driver's intent, Harrington has indicated he doesn't think the trucker was trying to hurt anyone. "We don’t have any information that makes this seem like this was an intentional act," Harrington said.

The driver, who was initially arrested and booked on suspicion of assault, was released from Hennepin County Jail on Tuesday.