Some drivers are distracted by texting. Others by a juicy hamburger or the GPS.
And sometimes it's a live chicken on your lap.
Police in St. Paul pulled over a 52-year-old man who failed to stop for three pedestrians in a crosswalk while his fine-feathered friend was right there with him behind the wheel.
The incident late in the afternoon of April 22 occurred at the intersection of Arcade Street near Hyacinth Avenue E. and came near the end of law enforcement's statewide distracted driving crackdown.
The pedestrians were not hit, but the incident earned Charz Sang Xiong, of Rush City, Minn., a ticket just the same for failing to yield to a pedestrian.
Xiong admitted that he saw the people in the crosswalk but was unable to stop, said police spokesman Steve Linders. A call to Xiong's home Wednesday seeking his side of the story was not answered.
"Unfortunately, officers see many people with small animals on their laps," Linders said, "although chickens are relatively rare to see. This can create dangerous situations."
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
