http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/08/12/1411374/-Angry-driver-plows-into-protesters-on-I-70-police-file-charges-against-protesters-for-SUV-damage?detail=email#
During the livestream of the I-70 highway shutdown by Black Lives Matter protesters, an angry driver plowed directly into a line of protesters. The video bothered me on a number of fronts and made me question whether a St. Louis police officer might have even given the go-ahead for the SUV driver to run directly into the protesters.
If you watch the video, you can see the driver motioning to a police officer, who comes over and has a very brief conversation with her. We don't have any idea what was said, but you can clearly see in the video that from the moment the police officer began to walk away, the driver of the SUV began to drive directly into the protesters.
The officer even looks back and sees the SUV driving into the line of people. More protesters gathered and stood in front of the SUV and then the driver punched the gas, pushing protesters to the side and dragging a "Ferguson is everywhere" box sign with it. A few protesters can be seen banging on the car to get the driver to stop.
I watched with a mix of horror, anger and relief. Horrified that the driver had willfully driven into a group of people. Anger that the officer actually looked back at the vehicle, saw it plowing into the people and kept walking away. Relief nobody was seriously injured.
I thought for certain the driver of the SUV would be charged. We've seen time and time again that having your car in drive and/or moving one inch in the direction of a police officer can and will result in death. Officer Ray Tensing argued that Samuel Dubose's car was moving and that's why he killed him at near point blank range.
Driving a 4,500 lb vehicle directly into a crowd of people would certainly seem to fall within Missouri's first or second degree felony assault laws.
Not only has the driver of the SUV not been charged, protesters Alexis Templeton and Brittany Ferrell have been charged:
St. Louis County Police spokesman Shawn McGuire said he can’t release information regarding the incident that led to Templeton’s or Ferrell’s arrest or their charges. Due to all the media attention surrounding their arrests, he said the department is waiting to release a press advisory.
Templeton is charged with one count of assault and one count of “resist arrest injury death,” according to the St. Louis County Justice Services automated “arrest information” phone line. Ferrell is charged with one count of “criminal damage to property.” Bail is being denied to both of them. Their release and court dates were not available.
Note that he mentions an estimated $5,000 worth of damage and the "situation could have and should have been avoided." You are damn right it was avoidable. Starting with the driver making a better choice and not driving directly into people.
charge protesters with "criminal property damage" for banging on her car to get her to stop before someone was serious injured can only be described as outrageous. Because you better believe if that SUV driver had driven into a crowd of police officers, she'd be dead.the video shows mostly Whites protesting for BLM did not see a cop talking to driver but when she moved forward the protesters clustered to block her, of course i don't know what was going through her mind but i have a feeling she'll plead self defense and fearing for her life which the protesters IMO could make the same claim for her "battered car"
she was encroaching they were in harms way hitting car as a "WTF" expression of most normal people don't drive into and potentially over other humans protesting or otherwise unless they are holding a weapon and shooting or throwing or trying to pull you from the vehicle like we've seen police do in numerous occasions lately wonder what if any charges will be brought against driver and testimony of what officer said and his alleged turning his back as the assault of the protesters unfolded. St. Louis damn!!!!!!
