One person was killed and 19 others were injured after a car plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters marching against a “pro-white” rally Saturday in Charlottesville, Va., witnesses and officials said.
Video of the terrifying moment shows at least one person being tossed into the air as the silver Dodge Charger mowed into the crowd.
“Yeah, it was intentional,” said witness Dan Miller. “About 40 miles an hour, hit about 15-20 people, crashed into the two cars in front of it, and then backed up and sped away while cops were standing on the side of the road and didn’t do anything.”
People fly into the air as a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017. The nationalists were holding the rally to protest plans by the city of Charlottesville to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. There were several hundred protesters marching in a long line when the car drove into a group of them.
(Ryan M. Kelly//The Daily Progress via AP)
Terrified screams replaced chants as the peaceful marchers dove out of the way of the crash.
White nationalist rally in Virginia triggers state of emergency
An Associated Press reporter saw at least one person on the ground receiving medical treatment.
Protesters injured as a car purposefully mows down the crowd following ‘Unite the Right’ rally
“I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here. I urge all people of good will–go home,” Charlottesville mayor Mike Signer tweeted about an hour after the horrifying crash.
University of Virginia Medical Center spokeswoman Angela Taylor confirmed one person was killed and 19 others were being treated for injuries at the hospital.
Dozens of people were in the street as the car sped toward them, the video shows.
(SOCIAL MEDIA/REUTERS)
A second video shows the silver car reversing down several blocks, its front bumper dragging along the ground, as the driver flees the scene of the carnage.
Melania Trump speaks out on Charlottesville before President
Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Brian Moran said the driver, a man, has been arrested. Moran did not immediately provide a name of the driver.
People tend to a counter-protester lying on the ground after he was hit by a car Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.
(Go Nakamura/New York Daily News)
Tensions in the Southern city had already been high as protesters and opponents clashed early ahead of a massive gathering of white nationalists, neo-Confederates and alt-right activists.
Thousands of protesters and opponents descended upon the usually sleepy college town of Charlottesville, hours after torch-carrying white supremacists marched through the campus of the University of Virginia.
White supremacists and protesters clash following two-day rally in Charlottesville, Virginia
At least two people were injured earlier as demonstrators with the “Unite the Right” rally — many clad in combat and Nazi gear — and opponents stormed into a downtown park and used pepper spray on one another, officials said.
KING: Charlottesville is an ugly reminder racism thrives in 2017
“There was someone in a dark vehicle that sped, very quickly, down this road and rammed into the crowd,” witness Nic McCarthy told C-VILLE Weekly. “People… He backed up and he went back in again.”
McCarthy said he wasn’t sure how many people were injured.
“A dozen at least,” he said. “There was a girl that was caught and she was trying to get up and it ran over her again.
“I hope the cops catch these terrorists,” McCarthy added.
With Chuck Modiano
- Tags:
- virginia
- university of virginia
- racial injustice
- car crashes
- protests
- charlottesville protests
- Join the Conversation:
