For the third time in one week, a driver Saturday afternoon plowed through a crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters in California, injuring at least one person.
A group of demonstrators calling for justice for Breonna Taylor were marching along Imperial Highway in Yorba Linda when they were confronted by counter-protesters, according to local news. During the incident, a white sedan drove through the crowd of Black Lives Matter protesters. One man was seen bleeding from the knee in photos shared to social media.
The incident came after two separate drivers attempted to run through different crowds of protesters earlier this week in Hollywood.
Protesters gathered at around 7 p.m. on Thursday night local time at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard after the decision not to indict police officers on criminal charges directly related to the killing of Taylor. Two hours later, a black SUV was seen driving against traffic toward the crowd. The vehicle then accelerated and rammed into the group, before quickly speeding away.
One female protester was injured and quickly transported to hospital. The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) found the driver and brought him into custody, but he was later released. He claimed that the demonstrators provoked him by attacking him first. Authorities say the “investigation is continuing.”
On the same night, a white Prius slowly drove through another crowd gathered at an intersection on Sunset Boulevard. The car fled the scene when protesters attempted to surround it. Police later detained the driver, before releasing him later that evening, according to Patch.com.
Newsweek reached out to the LAPD for additional information.
The grand jury’s decision not to charge three officers for Taylor’s death has further inflamed the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests that has erupted across America following the May 25 death of George Floyd in police custody.
From New York to California, thousands of protesters have taken to the streets to demand substantive action against alleged police brutality and systemic racism. Two officers were shot when protests turned violent on Wednesday night as authorities used tear gas on demonstrators.
On March 13, Taylor was inside her Louisville, Kentucky apartment when plainclothes officers served a warrant on her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Walker said he didn’t hear the cops at the door before firing his gun at what he believed to be intruders. Police returned fire, killing Taylor.
