A woman was arrested after the allegation Leadership Her car rammed a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in Manhattan Friday afternoon, wounding six, the New York Police Department said.
A group of protesters took to the streets to protest the federal immigration authorities’ detention of people, and in particular to highlight a group of detainees who have resorted to a hunger strike in federal custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ACE) in New Jersey.
The car drove forward in a frightening and rapid series of events as eyewitnesses said that protesters were sent “by plane” and people were screaming and running in panic.
The woman in the car, Kathleen Casillo, has been accused of reckless endangerment. Authorities said Casillo, 52, was released early on Saturday and is due to appear in court on February 22.
New York Police said they received a call to 911 at 4:08 pm saying “many pedestrians were injured” at the intersection of 39th Street and Third Avenue in the Murray Hill neighborhood in East Midtown Manhattan.
When the officers arrived at the scene, they encountered injured pedestrians, whom they described as “conscious and alert on the road.” Police said that a preliminary police investigation revealed that bystanders who were injured were among those protesting in the street.
The accounts posted on social media summoned an alarming scene. Some said that a parked car, which police described as a black 2019 BMW sedan, was surrounded by protesters before it suddenly burst into the crowd, knocking on people and bicycles.
One of the videos appeared to show a small group of protesters gathered around the sedan slowly approaching the intersection, with someone apparently leaning over the front of the car that Castillo was driving.
Then the car suddenly sped up, ejecting those who were obstructing it, as well as the people in the intersection as it sped forward several yards.
A video taken from another side shows people running away, with someone falling as the vehicle is passing by. According to Reuters, there were about 50 people in the crowd.
He said, “Just watching them actually hit people, it’s painful, it’s terrifying.”
Christian Resige, from Manhattan New York times The group was chanting, “Release them all, release them now” about the icebreakers when he heard a car drive behind him. Suddenly he realized that the protesters had scattered across the intersection.
He reportedly said: “I saw cuts and fractures of the bones.” Resiji claimed that the cyclists who were most affected by the accident were controlling the traffic during the demonstration.
Immigration detainees in several locations Have taken refuge in The hunger strike to highlight their plight and try to secure their release, better conditions, and the representation and exercise of human rights in line with US and international laws. They are also protesting about the increased risk of contracting the Coronavirus while in detention.
Sophia Vickerman, from Denver, Colorado, reported that people and bicycles were thrown into the air when the car collided with the crowd.
Vickerman, who was part of the protest, said: “I hear people screaming in the front. I look behind me, the woman is passing by.” “I see dead bodies flying.”
Vickerman stated that the protest began in Times Square and was intended to draw attention to the many protection takers in New Jersey, who were on a hunger strike.
A Reuters photographer who was present confirmed that the protest took place in solidarity with nine undocumented people who were detained by Ace. The agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the hunger strike.
This accident is among several among New York Protesters in the city and cars since the start of demonstrations against systemic racism, police brutality, and racist government policies in the United States in late spring.
In May, two NYPD patrol cars collided with a group of protesters in Brooklyn. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio expressed concerns about the accident, but emphasized that it was an acceptable use of force given the context, the newspaper reported.
About a week later, a man was arrested in Brooklyn for allegedly driving over at least one person as protesters on bicycles gathered around his car.
An SUV rammed a cycling demonstrator on 42nd Street in July. The driver was not arrested or charged, according to him Gothamist.
In September, an agitator drove a car into a crowd of BLM protesters in Times Square. This driver reportedly has not faced any charges.
There have been similar incidents between protesters and cars elsewhere in the US since the start of the BLM protests. Between May 27 and September 5, there were at least 104.
Ninety-six civilian drivers and eight involved in law enforcement, USA Today She reported, citing data from a researcher in counterterrorism.
Researcher Ari Weil Tell CNN clarified that 43 of those incidents were of malicious intent. Will sees memes celebrating and pushing for these attacks.
New York police also arrested a demonstrator, Nicole L Pisudin, on charges of obstruction of government administration and disorderly behavior, after Friday’s incident.
They claimed that Besuddin intervened with paramedics while they were trying to provide medical treatment.
Casillo is not immediately reachable by three phone numbers linked to her name.
It is not clear if she has a lawyer. The lawyer, who appears to be representing Besuddin in another case, did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.
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