State authorities are declining to charge any of the many protesters on the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis who attacked and injured a truck driver who barreled through marchers demonstrating in reaction to George Floyd's death.
The decision comes as authorities press ahead with their criminal investigation of the driver, 35-year-old Bogdan Vechirko, and also try to figure out why his route to the bridge hadn't been impeded miles earlier.
In explaining why the enraged people on the bridge will not be prosecuted, state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) spokeswoman Jill Oliveira said Wednesday that "the scope of the BCA investigation was to determine the intent of the truck driver."
And when investigators questioned Vechirko, they learned the trucker from Otsego was not interested in helping authorities build cases against those who went after him.
"The truck driver indicated to the BCA that he does not wish for charges to be filed against anyone for his injuries or damage sustained during the incident," Oliveira said.
Vechirko suffered cuts to his face, and his wife said this week that his cellphone, wallet and other items in the truck's cab were stolen. The assault stopped only after others on the bridge and police intervened.
In the meantime, investigators continue to look into the potentially deadly actions of Vechirko, who was released from jail Tuesday as the probe continues amid anger from people on the bridge and others that he has not been charged with what authorities initially alleged was assault.
"Even once he got into the crowd, instead of going down the middle, where the crowd had already cleared out, he veered left, stopped, then kept pushing through the crowd despite the people in front of him," said Rachael Wright, who, along with all the others, avoided being hit. "So maybe the first plow through wasn't enough to show intent, but the second was."