We have all seen the videos of innocent men and women being pulled out of their vehicles by a mob of protesters and getting pummeled.
That is why it should not stun anyone that, when faced with the decision to stop for these mobs or to continue driving many motorists hit the gas.
That is what happened on Thursday in New York as protesters gathered to demonstrate for a man who was killed in police custody, ABC 7 reported.
#BREAKING: Unmarked NYPD car appears to plow through protesters in Times Square.NYPD says the car doesn’t belong to them: “There are currently no complainants. NYPD asks if there is anyone injured, please come forward.” @datainput— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) September 4, 2020
The NYPD says there is currently an ongoing investigation into the incident involving the black Taurus sedan, but it is not an NYPD vehicle.
According to police, the incident involved protesters from a pro-Trump rally and from a Black Lives Matter march.
They say the Black Lives Matter protesters were at the intersection of 46th Street and Seventh Avenue, where the car came from the west to the east and mowed through the crowd.
Police say the driver of the car was involved in a separate, pro-Trump counter protest that happened to bump into the Black Lives Matter rally in Times Square.
Police said that they had asked the driver of the car to move so that they could separate the two groups of protesters, but as the mob gathered around the car the driver kept driving.
Police said because there were no injuries reported they do not have anything to prosecute and have asked victims to come forward.
New York City officials have condemned the footage and the actions of the driver, but what would their response have been had the driver been dragged from the car and injured?
“This video shows an incredibly reckless and disturbing action through a lawful protest. We must get to the bottom of it. We need accountability,” NYC House Speaker Corey Johnson said.
“My office is looking into tonight’s incident in Times Square. Hoping everyone is safe. Using a vehicle to hurt peaceful protestors is unacceptable and must be stopped,” Cit Councilman Keith Powers said.
“I saw people getting hit, so I’m trying to get out of the way. Luckily I made it out just in time, but the car hit my bike, and my bike hit both of my legs,” Qaaree McDaniel said to The Gothamist.
“Just seeing how cops reacted, how they were so passive about it, it goes to show you where they stand,” McDaniel said.
It is kind of tough to beg the police to help you when you are carrying signs and wearing masks that say you want to defund them.
“I’m in shock. I’m just happy to be alive right now,” Lora Gettelfinger, a 33-year-old protester who said she was hit in the leg, said.
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