The Minnesota State Patrol has identified a pickup truck driver who raced onto the shoulder of an Iron Range highway to pass a school bus that had stopped to drop off students, officials said.
The incident occurred about 3:45 p.m. Dec. 20 about 4 miles north of Virginia along southbound Hwy. 169 near Polar Drive, the State Patrol said.
After failing to obey the bus’ flashing amber lights and stop to allow children to step off, the driver struck a mailbox and kept going, the patrol said. No one was hurt.
The patrol said three days later that the driver was a 60-year-old man from Tower, Minn. The Minnesota Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
No charges have been announced, and State Patrol Lt. Mike Lee said the investigation was continuing.
The bus’ camera recorded the driver passing the bus on its right side, a gross misdemeanor in Minnesota.
Court records in Minnesota show that the man’ driving history includes three convictions for drunken driving and three for driving with a canceled or revoked license.
