Man wanted in Minneapolis for apparent racial attacks using truck

MINNEAPOLIS - Police in Minneapolis are looking into at least two incidents in which a driver is accused of trying to run people off the road, CBS Minnesota reports.

Victims told police that the truck used had an easily visible sign with a racial slur painted on it.

The incidents happened in south Minneapolis between Jan. 11 and Jan. 15. On Monday, the husband of one of the victims spoke out.

Douglas Mackbee said his wife was dropping off their daughter at day care when the driver of a pickup truck began honking the horn at her.

"She noticed a vehicle on her left side in the left lane was honking non-stop," Mackbee said.

He told the station his wife ignored the honking at first, believing the driver was trying to get the attention of the car in front of her.

"She noticed that the driver of the vehicle was looking directly at her," Mackbee said. "They were pointing at her. They were yelling."

He said his wife slowed down and the driver of the truck did the same. When she sped up the driver of the truck followed, he said.

"She noticed the sign on the back of the truck," Mackbee said. "That's when she became afraid. The other driver swerved at her, and it caused her to run off the road. She ran into the curb before the truck sped off."

Mackbee called police and was told there was nothing they could do because the incident was a civil matter, he told the station.

"So at that point, feeling powerless, I reached out to my social network on Facebook and gave a description of the incident and the vehicle and I asked my network to look out for the vehicle for the sake of public safety," Mackbee said.

Within two days, a co-worker managed to spot the truck, get behind it and take a picture, according to the station. Mackbee says that picture was what forced police into action.

"City council members were being tagged, multiple police precincts...I think the Minneapolis Police Department figured this was something they needed to pay attention to," Mackbee said.

Since the original incident, police learned of a second incident in which the truck was seen trying to run people over on a sidewalk.

Mackbee's wife, who feared retaliation if she came forward herself, said she believes she was targeted because she is a person of color and chose to wrap a scarf over her head the morning of the incident.

The driver of the truck is described as a middle-aged white man with a long red beard. A younger, clean-shaven man was a passenger in the truck.

Minneapolis police have assigned two investigators to the case.