Police: Delivery Driver Runs Over Groceries Of Elderly Couple Who Had Pro-Police Sign In Their Yard
Originally published Dec. 13, 2021
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- An Instacart delivery driver allegedly ran over an elderly couple's groceries due to a pro-police sign in their yard, according to police.
Blaine police say they responded on Dec. 6 to a call from the couple who reported that they had placed a grocery order from a local Cub Foods and requested delivery via the Instacart delivery service.
The couple said once they received notification that the driver was outside the house, they decided to meet the driver there due to the amount of snow in their driveway.
According to the police, when the couple opened the front door, the driver yelled back at them to check the inside of their Christmas wreath hanging from the door.
The couple said they watched as the delivery person drove back and forth in the driveway. After the delivery driver left, the couple said they found that their groceries had been run over. The couple also found the receipt from the grocery order with a message saying "Instacart doesn't pay employees, sry find another slave. F--- the racist police pigs."
Blaine Police Chief Brian Podany says after reviewing the message, they believe the delivery driver's actions were in response to a sign supporting law enforcement in the couple's front yard.
"We've seen things with signs in the past, but something this brazen is really unfortunate and really uncalled for," Podany said.
He says detectives have been in touch with the driver, who's described as a 36-year-old woman from Coon Rapids. Police tell WCCO she does not want to speak with them.
"We're in law enforcement, we get not everybody likes us, we understand that, but don't take that out on innocent people out there, especially people who are trying to contribute to this person's livelihood," Podany said.
A GoFundMe page that was created for the couple shows that they have a "Thank you Blaine PD" sign.
The couple also received a full refund from Instacart and a lot of support from their community. Donors have given more than $3,400 to help them.
Instacart released a statement in response to the incident, calling the shopper's actions "unacceptable."
"We're appalled by the unacceptable actions of this shopper, who has been removed from the Instacart platform as a result. We've been in direct contact with the customers to refund their order and provide additional resources. We'll continue to provide support to the impacted customers and will also work directly with local law enforcement on any investigations into this matter," Instacart said.
The driver has not been arrested or charged with a crime, but she could face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage to property, which can send her to jail for up to 90 days.