Charges: Downtown Rochester Hit-and-Run Was Intentional

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - Charges filed in connection with an injury hit-and-run incident in downtown Rochester on Sunday night allege it was an intentional act.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Olmsted County Court today, Rochester police responded to a report of a hit-and-run in the 100 block of First Avenue Northeast around 11:40 p.m. Sunday. Officers located a man under a vehicle near the railroad tracks with a laceration on his nose and a large area of swelling on his forehead. The court document says the victim also complained of chest pain and was transported to St. Marys Hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

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Witness Describes SUV Reversing Into Victim

The charges say the victim told police that he and 45-year-old Adam Lawrence Bussman had gotten into a verbal argument over money. During the dispute, the victim indicated the East Grand Forks man began to drive away but then reversed and struck him with his vehicle.

The criminal complaint also includes a witness statement from a juvenile who told police he saw the hit-and-run while sitting on benches near the Salvation Army Building. According to the charges, the juvenile told police he saw the victim yelling at the occupant of an SUV before the vehicle traveled forward about 20 feet and abruptly stopped. The witness stated that the SUV then accelerated in reverse and struck the victim with the rear bumper and trunk while traveling at about 30 mph.

photo by Andy Brownell TSM-Rochester

Rochester police reported that officers searched the area, located the SUV in the 500 block of 5th Avenue Northwest, and arrested Bussman. The criminal complaint says the officers observed “multiple pieces of drug paraphernalia” scattered throughout the vehicle. It also states that Bussman declined to give a statement to officers because he was “tired.”

Bussman Charged With Assault, Felony DWI

The charging document says Bussman failed field sobriety testing, and a drug recognition evaluator concluded that he was likely under the influence of a central nervous system stimulant and a narcotic analgesic. A blood sample was obtained from Bussman after he was transported to the Olmsted County Jail. Test results are pending.

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Bussman is charged with second-degree assault, felony DWI, and a gross misdemeanor count of criminal vehicular operation. His bail was set at $200,000.

The criminal complaint notes that Bussman was previously convicted of a felony DWI charge in Sherburne County in 2019.

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