Car appears to run over protesters live on-air in Boston amidst George Floyd protests
A live broadcast from protests in Boston has appeared to show an SUV drive into a crowd.
The incident occurred live on air while WCVB’s Peter Eliopoulos described the action unfolding from the protests, which turned violent in the late hours of Sunday.
“Several people just got hit,” he said. “Several people just run over by a car. The front windshield was shattered.”
“I saw at least two people get hit, one hung onto the hood down the street. A witness says he thinks four or five people in total were hit. No word on if that driver is in custody or if there were serious injuries,” Mr Eliopoulos said in a follow-up tweet.
The Boston Police Department said 53 arrests have been in relation to the demonstrations made as of Monday.
At least seven police officers have been reported to have been injured during the rioting, which began as a peaceful protest over the weekend.
The protests follow the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, who died after in police custody after a Minneapolis police officer pinned him to the ground by his neck for a prolonged period of time.
Outrage over Floyd’s death has spiralled in the last week with violent protests and demonstrators breaking out across the US and in particular Minneapolis, where Floyd died.
The demonstrations have extended to greater themes regarding the death of black people at the hands of police, and institutional racism throughout the country.
WCVB video shows SUV colliding with protesters in #Boston street. @petereliopoulos was reporting live @OnWCVB at the time. #BREAKING #BostonProtests https://t.co/Cmm1RPHxY7 pic.twitter.com/rR24y5Sctf
— WCVB-TV Boston (@WCVB)
“I see you. I hear you. I will use my voice for you,” Boston mayor Marty Walsh wrote in a statement on Twitter.
“I am angered, however, by the people who came into our city and chose to engage in acts of destruction and violence, undermining their message. If we are to achieve change and if we are to lead the change, our efforts must be rooted in peace and regard for our community,” he added.
Thousands gathered in the city for two protests over the death of Floyd on Sunday, which remained peaceful until around 9pm.
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