Lang
8/22/20
Iowa City Police say they have located the driver who allegedly hit multiple Black Lives Matter protestors in downtown Iowa City Friday night, and online records show he may have contacted police himself.
The protest, led by the group Iowa Freedom Riders, started with a rally on the Pentacrest before turning into a march through downtown.
At one point when the march was stopped in the intersection of Burlington and Gilbert Streets, a car drove through the crowd. The incident was caught on video, and it shows protestors briefly on the hood of the car before falling off. There were no reported injuries.
Car drives through protest in Iowa city #iowacityprotest pic.twitter.com/MYOSUSSU59
— Erik Fisher (@RealErikFisher) August 22, 2020
Iowa City Police released a statement Saturday night saying an officer in an unmarked car saw the vehicle speeding away from the intersection, but didn’t know it had hit protestors. The officer noted the license plate, but was unable to follow the vehicle due to traffic and pedestrian congestion.
Police say they received no reports regarding the incident by protesters, observers, or the driver of the vehicle. However, the online Iowa City Police Activity Log shows a man called police at 8:40pm Saturday saying someone jumped on the hood of his car at that intersection.
The caller claimed the man had also blocked his path with several bicycles and was standing in front of him. The driver also accused the man of ripping off his windshield wipers while on his hood and trying to do what he termed “more damage” to his car.
The caller said he was going to drive to the corner of Governor and Brown Streets near Happy Hollow Park to meet with an officer.
Police say they have since been made aware of the Twitter video and have contacted the driver who hit the protestors. There is no indication if charges have been filed.