Man arrested, charged in fatal alcohol-involved 2020 crash

More than a year after a fatal crash, a man was arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail Wednesday.

Terrance Jacob Bugg, 34, was charged via warrant in January and is facing two felony charges of criminal vehicular homicide under the influence of alcohol. Now in custody, his bail is set at $150,000.

On Sept. 12, 2020, police responded to the intersection of Cedar Avenue South and 26th Street East in Minneapolis at about 3:40 a.m. for a fatal vehicle accident. According to a complaint, officers found a Chevrolet Traverse with "severe" damage to the driver’s side and a Honda Pilot with "severe" front-end damage. Emergency personnel were already rendering medical aid to three occupants of the Honda, including Bugg, the driver.

The collision caused both cars to leave the road and crash into a business nearby, the complaint states.

The sole occupant and driver of Chevy, a man in his 50s, was found deceased. All three in the Pilot suffered injuries. Two women, 26 and 35, were in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries, police said. Bugg — unconscious and smelling of alcohol — was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center by ambulance in serious but stable condition.

After police obtained a warrant, hospital staff were able to perform a blood draw at 5:43 a.m. on Bugg; his blood alcohol concentration was 0.15, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension found.

Surveillance video showed the victim’s Chevy driving south on Cedar Avenue South and the Pilot heading west on 26th Street East at a high rate of speed, the complaint says. Bugg seemed to fail to stop for a red light at the intersection and t-boned the Chevy. Both cars left the road and hit a business.

Bugg, of Minneapolis, is currently in custody. He is charged with criminal vehicular homicide — operating a motor vehicle with an alcohol concentration of 0.08 or more and criminal vehicular homicide — operating a vehicular with negligence under the influence of alcohol. He has a previous DWI misdemeanor conviction from 2014.

Bugg’s first court appearance is Friday.