At least two protesters were hit by a truck and one Prius driver was nearly ripped from his vehicle during two separate violent clashes in Hollywood that were captured on video.
Protesters blocked off several intersections on Thursday night as part of their demonstrations following the grand jury’s decision to indict only one officer in the Breonna Taylor case and not on homicide charges. The blocked roads outraged some drivers, prompting some to rush through the crowds.
One pickup truck driver floored his vehicle to make his way through the crowd and struck at least two protesters. One of the protesters was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The other was driven in a personal vehicle. The driver of the truck fled the scene.
Police detained the driver a few blocks from the incident. The Los Angeles Police Department said that the driver had gotten into an argument with the protesters and “attempted to get away from the situation” when he hit the two individuals.
At least one other driver found themselves in a similar predicament. A white Prius attempted to drive through a blocked intersection when several protesters began pounding on the car. The Prius driver sped through the crowd, but several protesters began to chase the vehicle on foot.
Soon after, a truck full of protesters sped in front of the Prius and blocked it from driving forward. Another car filled with protesters blocked the Prius in from behind. The protesters jumped out of the vehicle and began pounding on the car. One protester reached into the driver’s window and attempted to rip him from the vehicle.
The Prius was able to escape the protesters by hitting the gas. After running at least one red light, the driver was stopped by police. Video from ABC 7 showed the driver being placed in handcuffs.
Several protesters have been injured by vehicles while demonstrating in the streets since the death of George Floyd in May. On Wednesday, at least one protester in Denver was injured after a truck rushed through a crowd of protesters.
