An Otsego man is in custody at the Hennepin County Jail after he allegedly drove his tanker truck into the middle of a crowd protesting on Interstate 35W near University Avenue in Minneapolis.
Protestors were gathering on both sides of the Interstate bridge over the Mississippi River, demonstrating after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this week.
The driver has been identified as Bogdan Vechirko, 35, of Otsego. He was booked around 9 p.m. Sunday, May 31 by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, charged with assault.
Reports state Vechirko is an independent contractor for Ken Advantage Group, and the company’s logo was on the cab of the truck. Owner Ken Advantage issued this statement:
“Our hearts go out to all those who are grieving the events of this past week,” part of the statement read.
The company said it will work fully with the investigation to determine why Vechirko drove on the interstate after it was closed, and into the crowd.
No one was hurt in the incident, but protesters swarmed the truck and attacked Vechirko after he arrived on the bridge. He was rescued by police who were monitoring the protest, but not before sustaining injuries to his head and face. He was taken to Hennepin County Health Services and released into police custody.
KSTP had live video of the incident: