Expand with witness statements and new precision on protesters /// New York, Dec 11 2020 (AFP) – A motorist rammed at least half a dozen pedestrians participating in a protest in Manhattan, New York on Friday, causing injuries but not fatalities, according to police and media reports.A spokesman for the New York Police Department told AFP that the vehicle struck “multiple” people in the Murray Hill area of Manhattan at 4:08 p.m. (9:08 p.m. GMT). “An unknown number of people have been injured. They have been transferred to various hospitals,” he said. “None of the injuries are believed to be life threatening,” the spokesman added. He said it was “too early to tell” whether it was an intentional act or a traffic accident. The driver of the vehicle, a woman, “remained at the scene,” the spokesman said, adding that the person was in custody. Eyewitnesses said they saw at least six people injured. They were protesting against the detention of immigrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, and in support of detainees who are on hunger strike. But local media initially reported that the protest was driven by the Black Lives Matter movement against police violence towards African-Americans. ABC News reported that between 40 and 50 protesters were in the area at the time, that the protest had spread to the streets. and that the protesters had surrounded a car. The car then rammed into the protesters, wounding at least six of them, ABC added. He said the car was driven by a woman police were questioning. A witness told NBC that the car was a navy blue BMW with two white women sitting in the front seats. “As far as I know, they beat at least six of our non-violent protesters,” he told the network, adding that he ran away from the car. “I heard people yelling. I looked behind me, (and) a woman was pushing her way,” he said. The protester added that she saw “bodies flying” in the air. “I looked again, the car was accelerating, people were trying to run. (…) Some people attended others, injured, on the sidewalk.” pdh / st / dg / lda
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