6 Injured After Driver Rams Into Black Lives Matter Protest in New York City

By Stephanie K. Baer, BuzzFeed

12 December 20

The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody Friday afternoon.

ultiple people were struck by a vehicle during a protest Friday afternoon in New York City.

It was not immediately clear how many people were injured, but preliminary information indicated that their injuries were not life-threatening, a spokesperson for the New York Police Department told BuzzFeed News. It was also not clear if the collisions were intentional.

The incident occurred at about 4:08 p.m. at East 39th Street and Third Avenue. Officials initially said demonstrators had gathered in the area to call for justice for George Floyd, the 46-year-old Black man whose killing by Minneapolis police sparked global protests against police brutality and racial injustice. However, local outlets reported that protesters were marching in solidarity with ICE detainees who are on a hunger strike at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey.

The driver of the vehicle has been apprehended, officials said.

Video of the scene showed a large presence of first responders in the intersection.

A witness told NBC New York that a BMW had "sped through" the intersection.

"I hear people screaming in the front. I look behind me. The woman is plowing through. I run out of the way," she said, adding that she saw "bodies flying" and had to dodge a bike that "came flying for [her] face."