DPS: Tanker truck swerving through protest on I-35W does not appear to be intentional act

Witness video: Truck speeds into protesters on Minneapolis highway

Video from a witness on Interstate 35W in Minneapolis as a tanker truck barrels into a crowd of thousands protesting the death of George Floyd. Video credit: Twitter user BvtchSwerveee.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - State officials said Monday the incident in which a tanker truck swerved through a crowd of protesters on I-35W does not appear to have been an intentional act.

Minnesota Public Safety Commissioner John Harrington said they had directed the Department of Transportation to close the freeways sooner than planned when protesters started moving towards the Interstate 35W Bridge in Minneapolis. But, when MnDOT started closing the entrance ramps, the driver, who was coming from Interstate 94 to I-35W, was already on the freeway.

DPS: Tanker truck that drove through protest was not intentional act

Authorities with the Department of Public Safety say that it was not an intentional act when a tanker truck drove through a crowd Sunday on I-35W in Minneapolis.

Harrington said the driver was speeding, going about 70 miles per hour, and he “panicked” when he saw the crowd. The lift in the freeway before the bridge may have prevented him from seeing the protesters sooner.

The tanker truck was empty, Harrington said.

Harrington's comments confirmed what state officials suspected Sunday night, that the tanker truck was already on the highway when MnDOT closed it down and the driver did not go around any barriers.

Tanker truck swerves through crowd of protesters on I-35W bridge

The march honoring George Floyd, started just after 4 p.m. Sunday, departing U.S. Bank Stadium and heading into downtown toward the Hennepin County Government Center. The group then moved across the Hennepin Avenue Bridge, down University Avenue and onto I-35W.

Just after 6 p.m., a tanker truck came from the south headed north at a high rate of speed, honking its horn as it swerved through the crowd at Washington Avenue.

Witness recounts the moments a truck drove through packed crowd of protesters in Minneapolis

FOX 9 spoke with a witness who was on I-35W as a truck careened through a packed crowd of protesters

A short time after the incident, police moved in quickly to disperse the crowd that pulled the driver from the cab. Helicopter shots showed law enforcement grabbing one man and shoving him into a squad while moving the crowd.

The driver was booked into the Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of assault. There were no reports of protesters hurt during the incident.

Some protesters protected driver after being pulled from cab

After being pulled from the truck, a mob of people grabbed at the driver. However, a video shared online shows a group of men protecting the driver.

Man describes how he helped protect truck driver who drove onto 35W bridge

Justin Goeman was on 35W bridge when a semi went through a crowd of protesters. When some pulled the driver from his truck, Goeman was among those who stepped in to keep the driver safe.

"We can not hurt him," one man said. "It defeats our purpose."

Other members of the crowd shouted "stop" and told the crowd to get the police.