Off-duty St. Paul officer charged with DWI for crashing into vacant building
Court documents filed Monday show an off-duty officer who crashed into a building last week with a vehicle has been formally charged with two misdemeanors.
According to Ramsey County Court records, a citation for 30-year-old Bryan James McKinnon shows he has been charged with one count of fourth degree driving while impaired and one count of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol.
The citation says McKinnon was cited shortly after 2 a.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1 after squads were sent to a single-vehicle crash at 3rd Street East and Maple Street. A fire also started and spread to the vacant building.
As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, officers tried to knock down the fire using fire extinguishers, but it grew, causing the building’s integrity to be unsafe. Firefighters got the fire under control when they arrived, police say.
McKinnon, who was the only person in the Dodge Durango, admitted to driving, according to the citation. Police noted they saw signs of impairment while speaking with him.
Although a future court date hasn’t been set, he must appear before a judge by Sept. 4.
Due to McKinnon being an off-duty officer at the time of the crash, the Minnesota State Patrol is handling the investigation. He has been with the St. Paul Police Department since 2022. McKinnon’s SPPD personnel file shows he has no history of disciplinary action.