BLAINE, Minn. — An Instacart driver accused of running over a couple’s groceries because of the couple’s support for law enforcement has been cited, but will not face hate crime charges.
An elderly couple placed an Instacart order for groceries on Dec. 6, and when they were delivered, police say the Instacart driver drove over the groceries repeatedly in the driveway and tucked the receipt for the groceries in the couple’s Christmas wreath with a note that contained a derogatory message, KARE reported. Police said the note indicated that the driver behaved the way she did because the couple had a sign supporting law enforcement in their yard.
Police said the 36-year-old Instacart driver would be cited for criminal damage to property, but that “the facts of the case do not meet the elements required for an enhancement to a hate crime” because the alleged act did not involve a protected class (such as race, religion or sexual orientation), WCCO reported.
A GoFundMe for the couple started by a member of their family received more than $12,000 in donations as of Wednesday.
In a statement, Instacart told KARE that the driver was fired and the couple’s order was refunded.
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