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Truck Strikes Protester As Marchers Take To The Streets In Hollywood Thursday
Paramedics cart an injured protester into an ambulance after she was hit by a pickup truck Thursday. (Christian Monterrosa for LAist))
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The LAPD is investigating incidents that took place Thursday night in which vehicles drove through a crowd of protesters marching in honor of Breonna Taylor in Hollywood. In one of the incidents, the LAPD said a person was struck by “a blue pick-up truck” and was transported to a local hospital with “minor injuries.”
Photojournalist Christian Monterrosa was covering the protest that saw hundreds take to the streets last night. On Sunset Blvd., Monterrosa said the pickup was driving westbound and he heard the crowd start to get agitated.
“I looked over and I saw that the truck was refusing to stop and I saw several protesters in front of the truck trying to get it to stop,” Monterrosa said. “There was a woman caught in front of the truck and so when the truck hit the brakes, obviously her momentum kept going and she fell backwards and hit her head on the pavement,” he added.
Content warning. Protesters get struck by car during Hollywood march/protest #losangeles #protest #hollywood pic.twitter.com/MJfParkHsS
— Jessica (@jessicarayerog1) September 25, 2020
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Videos posted to social media show the truck then speed off, coming in close contact with other protesters.
In an update today, the LAPD said in a statement that its preliminary investigation found protesters began "beating [the pickup] with sticks” and tried to open the door as the driver “attempted to maneuver through the crowd.” It said the truck struck the protester as the driver "attempted to drive away."
Police stopped the truck several blocks away, where they saw it “had evidence of damage from the confrontation” with protesters, the LAPD said, adding that the driver “cooperated with officers … He was released pending the outcome of a hit and run investigation.”
About 40 minutes later, according to the LAPD, a white Prius drove through a crowd of protesters near Hollywood’s Arclight theater. NBC4 aerial footage shows a black pickup truck, which police said was “leading the protests,” speed after the Prius, pull in front of it and slam on the brakes.
One person exits the black truck and appears to attempt to get the driver of the Prius out of the car. The Prius then accelerates backwards and hits a green Mustang, at which point several people start smashing the Prius' windows. An LAPD update today said the aerial video "depicted a potential assault" on the driver of the Prius, who drove away and cooperated with police who stopped him several blocks away. There were no injuries associated with the incident involving the Prius, according to the LAPD.
MOMENTS AGO: Prius drives through a protest in Hollywood, protestors then chase the vehicle down, smash the windows with a skateboard while attempting to pull the driver out of the car. The driver then speeds away and is pulled over by LAPD and handcuffed. @NBCLA @elianamoreno pic.twitter.com/OZuU1r8QoG
— Kenny Holmes (@KHOLMESlive) September 25, 2020
“All of the drivers and victims involved in both altercations have been identified by Hollywood Officers and the investigation is continuing,” the LAPD said in a statement posted to its Twitter account.
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Monterrosa, who covers protests regularly, said this is the worst case of someone being injured that he’s seen, but not the first time he’s seen cars refusing to stop for protesters.
“This is a recurring thing, unfortunately last night it did escalate into someone being transported,” he said.
This story has been updated with information from today's LAPD statements.
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