A Tennessee woman was arrested this week after authorities said she drove her SUV through a Covid-19 vaccination tent, nearly hitting several people while shouting “no vaccine”.
Virginia Christine Lewis Brown, 36, from Greenback, has been charged with seven counts of endangering others. She was released on bail for a total amount of $ 21,000 and her first court appearance is scheduled for June 7, according to the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. It was not specified whether she had hired a lawyer.
The incident in question occurred this week in a Covid-19 vaccination tent set up in the parking lot of Foothills Mall in Maryville, a suburb of Knoxville. According to an incident report, two assistants from the Blount County Sheriff’s Office said they were at the scene when they saw a blue Chrysler SUV speeding through a cone course, past the area of check in, then walk through the tent, where several health workers and members of the National Guard were preparing to administer Covid-19 vaccines. The vehicle did not stop and was traveling at “high speed,” the deputies wrote in the incident report.
“I have worked at this location several times over the past few months and the area is clearly marked with signs and cones to inform the public of the event“, wrote a deputy.”Ms Brown’s driving behavior as she approached and exited the tent towards the holding area caught my attention due to the speed at which the vehicle was passing through the area.“.
The workers inside the tent ran to the deputies, telling them what had just happened. They said they heard the driver shout “no vaccine” as she walked through the tent and narrowly missed seven of the workers. Several of them told deputies that they believed the driver was going to kill them, according to the incident report.
One of the deputies chased the vehicle and stopped it. Ms Brown reportedly told the deputy that she was walking through the tent to protest the vaccine and that she was only going 8 km / h. The deputy arrested her without incident. Ms Brown was then taken into custody without incident before being transferred to the Blount County Jail.
“During the drive to jail, Ms Brown made several statements about her willingness to protest the vaccine“, wrote the deputy in his report.”Ms Brown said she was driving across the course and once arrived at the tent she told the working staff that she was not there for the vaccine“.
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