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Charges Dropped Against Truck Driver Who Drove Rig into Group of People Protesting George Floyd’s Death

Morrison71

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Nov 10, 2006
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A truck driver who drove his rig through a large crowd of demonstrators protesting the death of George Floyd on a Minnesota highway last summer will no longer face criminal charges, provided he does not get into trouble with the law for the next year, multiple newsoutlets reported Friday
Bogdan Vechirko, 36, and prosecutors in Hennepin County reached a deal—called a continuance without prosecution agreement—under which the state will not move forward with the two charges brought against Vechirko in October 2020. He was charged with one felony count of making threats of violence and with one count of criminal vehicular operation, which is a gross misdemeanor.
Vechirko told authorities that he was “kind of in a hurry” coming back from delivering fuel in Minneapolis and did not intend to endanger anybody or to drive into protesters, the Star Tribune reported. His attorney Mark Solheim said at the time that his client “relied on his professional instinct and training to avoid a hard brake that could have jackknifed the truck and could have seriously injured or killed thousands of people, and instead slowed his vehicle while maneuvering through the parted crowd.”
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According to a report from local news outlet Bring Me The News, the terms of the continuance without prosecution agreement state that the charges against Vechirko will be dropped on June 18, 2022, provided that during that time he remains a “law abiding” citizen, refrains from committing any traffic violations stemming from careless or reckless driving, doesn’t make contact with any of the victims identified in police reports, and completes three counseling sessions focused on victims’ concerns. According to the Star Tribune, Vechirko has already completed two of the required counseling sessions. He also may be required to pay restitution.
 
I never understood the charges. He was driving on the highway that was closed, but of course MN DOT never got around to actually barricading the highway to prevent vehicles from going that route. Where he was at came around a curve and a slight rise where he wouldn’t have seen the people until very late. Watching the video I said that is some of the best driving I’ve seen by a regular joe without race car driving experience. He managed to control the rig, swerve appropriately, avoid hitting a single person as they were all frantically and erratically moving out of his way, and stopped as soon as he could. As he learned after the fact he shouldn’t have stopped right there since they beat him up.

When you add all of that up, I don’t see how you could think he was doing this intentionally. People that aren’t educated on big rigs say that he didn’t slam on the brakes. But doing that would have pretty likely jackknifed the truck and there’s no way it doesn’t hit a large amount of people as a 43” gasoline tanker trailer starts sliding sideways with rotation through the crowd, likely breaking apart, spilling its contents, and potentially igniting it.
 
Can’t imagine having to make a decision in that situation. Keep driving and get to safety knowing you might flatten a few “mostly peaceful” protesters. Orrr, stop and likely suffer the same fate Reginald Denny did back during the Rodney King “mostly peaceful” protests.

Also couldn’t imagine having to rush a loved one in a life or death situation to the hospital, only to be stopped because a bunch of “mostly peaceful” protesters were blocking the road.
 
Can’t imagine having to make a decision in that situation. Keep driving and get to safety knowing you might flatten a few “mostly peaceful” protesters. Orrr, stop and likely suffer the same fate Reginald Denny did back during the Rodney King “mostly peaceful” protests.

Also couldn’t imagine having to rush a loved one in a life or death situation to the hospital, only to be stopped because a bunch of “mostly peaceful” protesters were blocking the road.
Not a difficult decision at all, protect yourself first and foremost.
 
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No wild speculation that this was a “pulled punch” on a mass casualty attack from a foreign or otherwise organized entity? A fuel truck speeds towards a huge crowd including a couple of outliers on bicycles circling on the near perimeter. The foreign born driver from a country known to be a global hotspot of espionage and related hijinks, expertly avoids a collision at the last moment. No CT fodder there? Or is it all child molesting vampires and Jewish space lasers these days?
 
Can’t imagine having to make a decision in that situation. Keep driving and get to safety knowing you might flatten a few “mostly peaceful” protesters. Orrr, stop and likely suffer the same fate Reginald Denny did back during the Rodney King “mostly peaceful” protests.

Also couldn’t imagine having to rush a loved one in a life or death situation to the hospital, only to be stopped because a bunch of “mostly peaceful” protesters were blocking the road.
Did someone call the LA riots “mostly peaceful” or are you just making shit up?
 
You cheering for this guy?




Or this guy?




If those had been stopped cars rather than people, they wouldn't have been able to scatter and this guy would have plowed through them. And you'd be cheering him?
I'm confused by your take here. Are you saying he should be charged by what might have happened in a completely different situation?
 
I'm confused by your take here. Are you saying he should be charged by what might have happened in a completely different situation?
Where did I say that? There was an obvious, visible obstruction in the road and this guy plowed through it. That he killed no one is pure luck. Again, had those been cars that couldn't scatter out of his way he would have slammed into them and likely killed people. My question stands...does the op cheer all truck drivers who are totally unaware of the road conditions ahead of them?
 
But doing that would have pretty likely jackknifed the truck and there’s no way it doesn’t hit a large amount of people as a 43” gasoline tanker trailer starts sliding sideways with rotation through the crowd, likely breaking apart, spilling its contents, and potentially igniting it.
Can you imagine the conspiracy theories to follow if a white guy went ‘suicide bomber’ with a gasoline tanker truck into a crowd of BLM protesters?

Would you even be able to convince 2/3rds of people it was all an accident following a series of bad decisions (protest on highway, don’t block highway, etc)?
 
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Where did I say that? There was an obvious, visible obstruction in the road and this guy plowed through it. That he killed no one is pure luck. Again, had those been cars that couldn't scatter out of his way he would have slammed into them and likely killed people. My question stands...does the op cheer all truck drivers who are totally unaware of the road conditions ahead of them?
Are you sure that there was an obvious, visible obstruction in the road. The story that I remember last summer revealed that he entered the highway where the DOT had not yet erected a barrier.
 
Are you sure that there was an obvious, visible obstruction in the road. The story that I remember last summer revealed that he entered the highway where the DOT had not yet erected a barrier.
I would think the road being completetly covered in people would be as obvious from a distance as lines of stopped cars.
 
I would think standing in the middle of a ****ing highway that it would be obvious trucks may hit me.
Kinda missed the point there, didn't ya? Stopping my car "in the middle of a ****ing highway" would make it "obvious trucks may hit me". I'm not going to celebrate the trucker who plows into me, however. Would you?
 
You cheering for this guy?




Or this guy?




If those had been stopped cars rather than people, they wouldn't have been able to scatter and this guy would have plowed through them. And you'd be cheering him?
Nice false equivalency dipshit.

Big difference between a bunch of 4000 pound vehicles with brake lights on and a bunch of idiots standing in an interstate. Not to mention you have no idea if that truck was full, how much it weighed or what it takes to stop an 80,000 pound semi traveling at 60 miles per hour.

I'm glad nobody died; but I wouldn't have shed any tears if they did. Those idiots put themselves in harm's way.
 
Nice false equivalency dipshit.

Big difference between a bunch of 4000 pound vehicles with brake lights on and a bunch of idiots standing in an interstate. Not to mention you have no idea if that truck was full, how much it weighed or what it takes to stop an 80,000 pound semi traveling at 60 miles per hour.

I'm glad nobody died; but I wouldn't have shed any tears if they did. Those idiots put themselves in harm's way.
Lol...not a false equivalency at all but keep on cheering nonattentive truckers.
 
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