A Detroit police officer drove their SUV into a crowd of protesters.
What We Know:
- According to the Detroit News, the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night after the officer’s back windows were “busted out”. When protesters marching against police brutality surrounded the Detroit police officer’s SUV, the officer decided to drive into the crowd.
- Video of the horrific act was posted on Twitter where people can be heard screaming while others ran after the vehicle that sped away.
TONIGHT IN DETROIT. ⚠️#PoliceBrutality as DPD plows through tons of protestors, roughly 3-5 injured includings leaders from @DETWILLBREATHE.
Please spread this far and wide! pic.twitter.com/f8BuQRQosN
— viola 📷 (@klocko_) June 29, 2020
- In a press conference the Detroit Police Chief, James Craig, defended the officers’ actions in leaving the scene once they drove out of the crowd.
- “The officers did the right thing,” he said. “They certainly left the location and then after they left to avoid any further harm, the protesters then left without any further incident.”
- One protester who was at the event, Ethan Ketner, stated “These officers drove into our protest after we walked past their vehicles. “They did not need to drive past us for emergency purposes because they had other officers on the other side ready. This was a clear act of aggression.”
- The Detroit police spokeswoman Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood told The Detroit Free Press that the department is investigating the actions of both the protesters and the officer who was driving.
- Another protester who was at the event, Jae Bass, said he tried to stand in front of the police SUV to stop it before it endangered protesters. “In response to that, he just floored it”.
- “He went super-fast. Me and a couple of other organizers that were with me just went flinging off. We went flying off. He ran over a couple people’s arms, feet.” Bass said.
The rally was organized by several civil rights organizations. Triston Taylor, who runs Detroit will Breathe said “This is us, acting on what we’d said we were going to do as an organization”.
