Man Charged With Criminal Vehicular Operation In Minneapolis Bus Shelter Crash

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Two people were injured and another was critically hurt Sunday night when a vehicle crashed into a bus shelter on Lake Street and 22nd Avenue South in Minneapolis. The driver, 40-year-old Michael Boucher, was charged with three counts of criminal vehicular operation, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office says. Charges include bodily harm and driving while under the influence of a controlled substance.

Metro Transit police say they were dispatched and found Boucher digging under the seats of a black Dodge, according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested and police say hypodermic needles were found in the area he was searching.

The complaint says Boucher was driving faster than the other drivers westbound on Lake Street. He slammed into a vehicle ahead of him, and the driver of that vehicle was not injured, the complaint says.

The complaint states Boucher then swerved and smashed into the bus shelter, and no brake lights were activated. After hitting the shelter and the people inside, he drove across a nearby driveway, through a business complex, and stopped at a concrete wall.

Two men were injured in the bus shelter at the time of the crash, the complaint says. One man remains in critical condition. The complaint says his leg was amputated in the hospital after being hit by the Dodge. He remains unconscious with a fractured skull and abdominal bleeding, according to the complaint.

The second man injured in the bus shelter stumbled into a nearby restaurant, who was reportedly bleeding from his face and had trouble breathing. He was taken to a hospital and was intubated due to chest injuries and broken ribs, the complaint says.

A third man was injured next to the bus shelter, the complaint states. He had a puncture wound to his upper abdomen and injuries to his legs, hands, hip and elbow. He was taken to the hospital for treatment. The driver in the car hit by Boucher was also injured. The extent of the passenger's injuries is unknown, but the complaint says they were taken to the hospital.

Boucher told officers he was driving the vehicle and lost control during a coughing fit. A passenger in the vehicle said Boucher did not have a coughing fit prior to the collision, the complaint says.

Boucher's blood sample results are pending, but the complaint says he admitted he had cocaine and marijuana in his system.

Boucher is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon, the Hennepin County Attorney said.