NPR News

Car Rams Into Black Lives Matter Protesters In New York City's Times Square

By Vanessa Romo

Published September 4, 2020 at 2:13 PM EDT

A memorial in Rochester, N.Y., where Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man, died while in police custody this past March. In New York City, hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators took to the city's streets in protest. [Adrian Kraus / AP] — A memorial in Rochester, N.Y., where Daniel Prude, a 41-year-old Black man, died while in police custody this past March. In New York City, hundreds of Black Lives Matter demonstrators took to the city's streets in protest.

A car drove into Black Lives Matter protesters in Times Square on Thursday, hitting several people on foot and on bicycles.

Several demonstrators captured the chaotic scene and posted video shortly after 8 p.m. ET.

One video posted on Twitter by a user named DataInput shows a dark sedan honking several times before plowing into a crowd of people standing in front of the vehicle. The car lurches through an intersection, leaving a chorus of screaming people in its wake.

Minutes later, WNYC reporter Gwynne Hogan said the crowd appeared "rattled" but that "most people were able to jump out of the way."

At least one person said they were injured.

The protest was still underway despite a heavy downpour, and hundreds of marchers intended to continue as planned.

New Yorkers streamed into the streets Thursday night following the release of police bodycam footage in which police officers in Rochester, N.Y., are shown cuffing Daniel Prude, covering his head with a hood known as a "spit sock," then pinning him to the ground until he lost consciousness.

Prude, who was Black and suffered from mental illness, died a week later from asphyxiation.

The officers were responding to a call from Prude's brother, who was concerned for his sibling's safety.

The March incident has sparked another round of Black Lives Matter protests throughout the country, and on Thursday the mayor of Rochester ordered the immediate suspension of the seven officers involved in Prude's death.

Prude's family is calling for the officers to be fired and charged with murder.

In New York City, a group of anti-Black Lives Matter protesters and those wearing MAGA gear confronted groups shouting Daniel Prude's name along with the names of several other Black people who have died at the hands of police.

Hogan reports that protesters have "deescalated the situation" between themselves and Pro-Trump supporters who showed up to counterprotest.

This is a developing story. Some things reported by the media will later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.