A car drove through a Black Lives Matter protest in New York City’s Times Square Thursday night, as activists were standing in the middle of the street.
The protest was reportedly a show of solidarity with Daniel Prude, a black man who died after an encounter in March with police in Rochester, New York. Video of Prude’s arrest was released earlier Thursday and showed Prude, sitting naked in the street, surrounded by police, with his arms behind him in restrains and with a “spit hood” over his head.
Breitbart News reported:
Daniel Prude, 41, who suffered from acute mental health problems, died on March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after his 11-minute encounter with six police officers in Rochester. His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family held a news conference and released police body camera video and written reports they obtained through a public records request.
A medical examiner’s report concluded that Prude’s death was a homicide caused by “complications of asphyxia in the setting of physical restraint.” The autopsy also found a low level of the hallucinogen drug phencyclidine, or PCP, in Prude’s system. The report lists excited delirium and “acute phencyclidine intoxication” as contributing factors in his death.
The protest in Times Square reportedly involved several hundred participants. Many were standing or seated astride bicycles when a car attempted to pass through.
Video of the altercation shows demonstrators attempting to obstruct the car; one is seen climbing off the hood before the car accelerates through the crowd.
Cars have driven through other Black Lives Matter protests, and have also been driven through police ranks at protests. It is not yet clear who the driver in Times Square was or what his or her motivations may have been.
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