Trucker Wanted To Scare Crowd During Floyd Protest On I-35W: Docs

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — The trucker who drove into a crowd of protesters on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis on May 31 was charged Thursday with threats of violence and criminal vehicular operation.

Authorities say the semi-tanker "barely avoided" running into protesters.

Bogdan Vechirko, 35, of Otsego faces a felony count of threats of violence and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation. He was charged by summons and his first court appearance is Nov. 10.

The charges come nearly five months after the incident. In late June, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced that the case against Vechirko had "been deferred pending further investigation."

During the time between the incident and Thursday's charges, investigators focused on gathering "additional information and answers to aid in the charging decision." Among the questions that arose from the case is the intent of the driver.

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"The thorough investigation showed that the defendant wanted to scare the crowd out of his path," the criminal complaint states.

Six days after the death of George Floyd, more than 1,000 protesters were marching on the I-35W bridge over the Mississippi River when the petroleum tanker truck barreled toward them.

The truck entered the bridge from the south and headed right for the crowd at a "high rate of speed," according to investigators. Vechirko did not stop his truck until a person in the crowd stumbled and fell forward, police said.

Traffic cameras and cell phone videos showed protesters screaming and running in a panic from the truck.

During the investigation, a similar truck was used to reconstruct Verchirko’s drive. The re-enactment showed that Verchirko’s line of sight would have provided him sufficient time to see the crowd and stop his truck well short of them, according to the complaint.

Investigators also spoke to protesters who said they thought they were going to be struck or killed by the truck. One person suffered scrapes and abrasions to her leg as she tried to get out of the truck’s path.

Vechirko suffered injuries when he was attacked by protesters after he stepped out of his truck. No charges were filed against the protesters.

The incident happened just before 6 p.m. Though the Minnesota Department of Transportation began shutting down highways at 5 p.m. in and around the Twin Cities, Department of Safety Commissioner John Harrington confirmed in a news conference that the truck was already on I-35W as authorities were closing the road.

"It didn't appear to drive through any barricades," Harrington said.

FOX 9 shared the traffic camera video showing the incident.