Minnesota man who drove through Ferguson protest, striking girl, will not be charged

2/16/2015

The Hennepin County district attorney's office determined Jeffrey P. Rice, 40, of St. Paul, did not show criminal intent when he drove through a crowd of people last November, consequently striking a 16-year-old girl with his car. Police said Rice was trying to flee the crowd that was damaging his vehicle.

A Minnesota man who drove through a Ferguson protest last fall and dragged a woman with his car will not face felony charges.

Jeffrey P. Rice. 40, of St. Paul, did not reflect criminal intent when he drove through a crowd of people at a Minneapolis intersection last year, the Hennepin County district attorney's office announced Thursday, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

A startling video from the incident shows the crowd scatter but a 16-year-old girl being dragged on the road by the car. Her fellow protesters rushed to her aid as they tried to pull her away from the vehicle.

The victim suffered a minor injury to her leg. The driver pulled over after he passed the people and called 911, reports TV Station CBS Minnesota.

The office said his actions did not constitute being charged, but declined specifics, the newspaper reported.

The Minneapolis Police Department said it would send the case to the city district attorney's office for possible misdemeanor charges, the newspaper reported. The county office handles felony cases.

MARK VANCLEAVE/AJeffrey P. Rice. 40, of St. Paul, will not face felony charges after driving his car through a Ferguson rally in November. Authorities said he did not demonstrate criminal intent.

Police said in the report that Rice was trying to "flee from the mob" as his vehicle was being damaged.

His mother has said he did not know what the crowd was doing as the hundreds of people gathered Nov. 25 to protest the grand jury's decision in Ferguson Mo. not to indict white police officer Darren Wilson after he fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown.

"It's unfortunate that someone could commit a crime by hitting someone … and not have consequences at all," protester Ghea Ebrahem, 24, told the newspaper. "But I'm not shocked (by the county attorney's decision). I definitely expected it."

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