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Still No Charges For Pro-Trump Driver Who Rammed Black Lives Matter Protesters In Times Square
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 9, 2020
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Courtesy of Twitter user @DataInput
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published Sep 9, 2020
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Nearly a week after a pro-Trump counterproteser drove into a crowd of Black Lives Matter marchers in Times Square, Mayor Bill de Blasio and the NYPD still aren't saying whether any crime was committed.
Addressing the incident for the first time on Wednesday, the mayor said he'd watched video of the crash, but was waiting for more details on the investigation to comment in full. "It's obviously painful to watch any situation like this where you see this kind of confrontation and people in danger," he added.
Nearly a week after a pro-Trump counterprotester celerating into a group of protesters marching for Daniel Prude on Thursday night, leaving behind a trail of bikes and injured pedestrians. Moments prior to the crash, NYPD officers helped the driver and several pro-Trump counterprotesters into the vehicle.t
During a separate press conference on Wednesday, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea confirmed that Midtown North detectives interviewed the driver and multiple occupants of the vehicle on Friday.
"A decision was made at that time based on statements that were made to not charge them," Shea said. Earlier this year, officers at the same NYPD precinct deployed facial recognition and dozens of police officers to arrest Derrick Ingram, a Black Lives Matter protester accused of shouting in a cop's ear with a bullhorn at a protest earlier this summer.
In the vehicle-ramming case, detectives were still examining the driver's "perception and what they thought was happening," Shea said, adding that protesters appeared to threaten the vehicle's passengers prior to the attempted ramming.
But witnesses at the scene dispute that account, claiming that protesters only approached the vehicle after it began driving through the red light.
"If you look at all the facts so far, the motivation of driving forward was the fear of being identified by marchers as they walked by the car," said one witness, who captured video of the incident, but asked not to be named for fear of retribution from Trump supporters. "No one even noticed the car before that happened."
The vehicle, a black Ford Taurus purchased at a police auction, has a license plate matching that of another car frequently shared on social media by Hakim Gibson, a pro-NYPD activist who currently runs a “law enforcement support page.” Police have not publicly identified the driver.
A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said the investigation remained ongoing, but declined to comment further.
Among the passengers in the vehicle was Juliet Germanotta, a conservative activist who’s been arrested multiple times for pouring paint on the Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower.
"I feel like I was treated fairly,” she told Gothamist after visiting with detectives last week. “They just want our side of the story."
Two of the five victims struck in the incident filed a police report on Saturday, saying they suffered broken bones and cuts requiring stitches.
"Just seeing how the cops reacted, how they were so passive about it," said Qaaree McDaniel, a 23-year-old cyclist who attended the protest. "It goes to show you how they stand."
Last month, the NYPD's largest union, the Police Benevolent Association, officially endorsed President Donald Trump for reelection, the first time the union has ever formally endorsed a candidate.
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dermot shea
black lives matter
George Floyd
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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