Charges: Man Drove Family Off Road, Attacked Them With Tree Trimmer
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 66-year-old Minnesota man faces assault charges after allegedly forcing a car carrying a family with small children off the road and then attacking the vehicle with a tree trimmer.
David Lucast, of Burnsville, is charged with one count of assault and one count of refusing to take a breath test stemming from an incident Sunday night.
According to a criminal complaint, Burnsville police responded to the area of Irving Avenue South and West Burnsville Parkway just after 8:40 p.m. When they got to the scene, they found Lucast on the ground near what appeared to be a broken tree trimmer.
Lucast smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes, the complaint states.
Another man at the scene, who was not identified, told police that he and his family had been traveling on backroads to avoid construction when Lucast almost drove his SUV head-on into them. The man said he had to swerve off-road to avoid a crash.
The man told police he began following Lucast in order to get his license and call authorities.
Eventually, Lucast pulled into a driveway on Irving Avenue, the street on which he lives. The man told police he parked nearby to watch Lucast's SUV until police arrived.
But when Lucast got out of the SUV, he grabbed a tree trimmer and reportedly ran towards the man's car. The man tried to back up, but Lucast struck his car, inside of which were the man's wife and two small children.
The man then grabbed a baseball bat and got out of his car. With the bat, he struck the tree trimmer and broke it. Then he told police he dropped the bat and hit Lucast in the face, knocking him over.
The man's wife told police a similar story.
Lucast did not give a statement, the complaint states.
If convicted of both charges, Lucast could face a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison and/or a $17,000 fine.
