A video posted by a Twitter user shows a car driving into a crowd of protesters in Times Square Thursday evening.
Car drives through protesters, Times Square, New York City, Thursday, September 3, 2020 pic.twitter.com/yMadwNYJSI
— DataInput (@datainput) September 4, 2020
The video shows marchers and people on bicycles in the street at West 46th Street and Seventh Avenue when a Ford Taurus plows into the crowd.
The footage was also captured by the Times Square Earth Cam.
BREAKING: Here’s the view from the Times Square camera of the moment a vehicle drove through Black Lives Matter demonstrators.@PIX11News pic.twitter.com/XeRmYpagRd
— Cristian Benavides (@cbenavidesTV) September 4, 2020
A Twitter account providing updates on protests going on around the city said that the protest was asking for justice for Daniel Prude, a Black man who died March 30 after he was taken off life support, seven days after the encounter with police in Rochester.
His death received no public attention until Wednesday, when his family released police body-camera video they obtained. Prude was handcuffed, hooded and pinned down by police.
Seven officers involved in that incident were suspended Thursday by Rochester Mayor Lovely Ann Warren.
Thursday night's incident caught the attention of State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents Manhattan.
This is incredibly disturbing. My staff is reaching out to the city. https://t.co/jE54kA8R9O
— Senator Brad Hoylman (@bradhoylman) September 4, 2020
No injuries were reported in the incident but the NYPD asked anyone hurt to come forward.
The NYPD tweeted out that it was investigating and said that the car was not an NYPD vehicle.
There is an ongoing investigation into an incident in Times Square involving a black Taurus sedan. This auto is NOT an NYPD vehicle. pic.twitter.com/kBGuXhFtP1
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) September 4, 2020
The protest had been peaceful up until the moment when the car drove through with many demanding justice for Prude.
Police are now working to try to identify the driver of that car.
The NYPD confirmed early Friday there was a second, smaller group of pro-Trump protesters nearby in Duffy Square, but said the groups were separated and a physical confrontation never occurred.
Polices said they could not confirm a report from The Daily News that the driver had participated in that pro-Trump demonstration, but said it could be possible.
Their investigation remains ongoing.
PIX11 News' Cristian Benavides contributed to this story.
