MANKATO, Minn. >> A criminal complaint says a man who drove into a group of people in Minnesota told police he was assaulted by several men and hit them so he wouldn’t get beat up.

Twenty-one-year-old Juan Carlos Lamas Jr. of Shakopee was charged today with multiple felonies, including assault and criminal vehicular operation, as well as misdemeanor drunken driving.

Police say he deliberately drove into a group of people in the Minnesota city of Mankato early Sunday, injuring six.

According to the Mankato Free Press, the complaint says Lamas admitted to striking the group after a fight over the price paid for some marijuana.

Two 18-year-old victims who were severely injured remain in fair condition at St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

Court records don’t list an attorney who could speak for Lamas.