A motorist rammed into several people in midtown Manhattan on Friday afternoon during a protest against the detention of illegal immigrant, police and witnesses reported.
Several injured were transported to different hospitals in the metropolis, said the police. New York. “The injuries do not seem to be life threatening” victims, said the spokesperson.
Five protesters interviewed all assured that the vehicle, driven by a woman, had deliberately accelerated after being slowed down for the first time by several people.
The spokesperson for the police nevertheless felt that it was “Too early to say whether (it was) an intentional act or an accident”. The driver remained at the scene after the incident and was arrested, according to the same source.
“It was totally intentional”
The incident took place a little after 4 p.m. (10 p.m. KST), when around 50 protesters, according to several witnesses, were at the crossroads of 39th Street and 3rd Avenue, when the vehicle pulled out. is advanced straight into the procession. Several passers-by filmed the scene.
Warning Graphic: Footage Of The Vehicle Striking The Crowd Earlier In #NewYork #NYC pic.twitter.com/rlIeHPPuOB
— V??¨??`?????engeance (@TheVengeance17) December 11, 2020
The demonstrators were protesting against the conditions of detention of undocumented migrants arrested by the immigration services (ICE), imprisoned in particular in Hackensack, New Jersey, where several of them went on hunger strike.
“I tried to slow down the car” explained Angel Rivera, a protester. “She slowed down a bit… and left. I dived to the side. “
“I saw people thrown in the air”said Joey, a protester who refused to release his last name. “It was totally intentional. “
“I thought I was going to die”, explained Budi, another demonstrator who also did not wish to give his last name, saying that he regretted that the police officers present, who supervised the demonstration, did not better protect the demonstrators.
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