A peaceful demonstration to protest police brutality on Sunday (June 28) took a turn for the worse. A Detroit police officer plowed an SUV through a group of Black Lives Matter protesters and the entire incident was caught on camera.
According to the New York Post, the SUV was surrounded by a group of protesters on Sunday night. They were chanting, “No justice, no peace,” and some of the protesters even climbed on top of the car. The vehicle suddenly moved forward and several protesters were injured.
One woman screamed, “Oh my God!,” as she watched a group of people get thrown onto the hood and in front of the vehicle. The SUV continued to move forward at least three times and one person was still on the hood as the police car sped away.
“Detroit Police Department drove into 10-12 protesters including myself,” activist Ethan Ketner wrote. “Multiple people are going to the hospital.” He also called the person driving the SUV a “reckless driver who somehow has a badge.”
“He just floored it,” Jae Bass said to the Detroit Free Press about the police driver. “We went flying off. He ran over a couple people’s arms, feet.”
Stephan Perez attended the peaceful march earlier Sunday and said that before the violent incident occurred, the march was “beautiful” to witness. “This time, we talked a lot, obviously, about the deaths of all these people,” she said. “But, at the same time, since it was kind of like our home, or our territory, we spoke a little bit more about [immigration] and stuff like that. We kept thinking about the movement that we’re fighting towards … It was a beautiful sight to see.”
The department has since blamed the “agitators” for surrounding the vehicle. They also told the Detroit News that the officer saved himself after one of the rear windows was “busted out.” No charges have been filed against the officer. Check out video of the incident below.