Trucker Who Drove Into Protesters In Minneapolis Identified

MINNEAPOLIS — Police have identified the trucker who drove into a crowd of protesters on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis Sunday evening. The driver was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on probable cause assault.

Just before 6 p.m., protesters were sitting on Interstate 35W bridge over the Mississippi River when a truck barreled toward them. No demonstrators were injured.

Carter Coughlin, a former member of the Minnesota Gophers who was selected the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL draft, was among the protesters on the highway at the time of the incident.

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"We were sitting in the middle of 35W when a white man drove a semi truck through the protest," Coughlin said in a now-deleted tweet. "To white America: that's what our colored brothers and sisters are dealing with. That's what a peaceful protest is met with. It's disgusting."

Coughlin later tweeted, "I don't have the self control to behave in a respectful manner to some of the tweets I've seen so I'm out."

The truck driver was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries. He was then released into police custody.

The Minnesota Department of Transportation began shutting down highways at 5 p.m. Sunday in and around the Twin Cities. DPS Commissioner John Harrington says the truck was already on I-35W as authorities were closing the road. "It didn't appear to drive through any barricades," Harrington said.

About 150 people were arrested for curfew violations at I-35W and Washington Avenue after ignoring dispersal orders, according to the Minnesota Department of Safety. Since Friday, Minneapolis, St. Paul, and suburbs across the metro area have enforced 8 p.m. curfews.

Sunday evening marked the sixth night of protests since the death of George Floyd. The National Guard, the Minnesota State Patrol, and police from the Twin Cities swept through Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods to make arrests and prevent further looting and property damage.

Law enforcement were dispatched to a report of looting at a Habitat for Humanity house under construction at 24th Street East and 10th Avenue South in Minneapolis.

There were 276 arrests Sunday night and early Monday, including the I-35W protesters, authorities said.

Authorities also reported a small grocery store that was on fire at Lake Street and Park Avenue.

Police continue to find "incendiary materials" and accelerants, including water bottles filled with gasoline, hidden in bushes and throughout neighborhoods in Minneapolis.

Officials also discovered two bullet proof vests and found handguns hidden in bushes by I-35W and Washington Avenue. Two handguns were also discovered in backpacks being carried in that area, police said.

Overall, authorities saw less vandalism than previous nights.

"It’s been quiet on the fire front tonight," DPS Commissioner Paul Schnell said at a news conference late Sunday.

"I am certainly thankful we have no fatalities or no injuries. We are seeing very few incidents," stated Gov. Tim Walz.

In the daylight hours, the Minnesota National Guard is assisting with residents and business owners to clean up neighborhoods.

On Friday, the state activated a Multi-Agency Command Center. The MACC is serving as a unified command of several different law enforcement and public safety agencies to support the state's response.

Officials say 481 people have been arrested under the MACC since Friday.