As Twitchy reported earlier Saturday, there had already been violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., following the city’s decision to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee when a driver rammed a crowd of counter-protesters.
#BREAKING: Video of driving through crowd of protesters in #Charlottesville pic.twitter.com/iukRJwRycN
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) August 12, 2017
Blake Montgomery of BuzzFeed News says police have located and detained the driver.
BREAKING: A male suspected of driving into a crowd in #Charlottesville has been detained, police tell @blakersdozen https://t.co/Ejd7ruo1sc
— BuzzFeed News (@BuzzFeedNews) August 12, 2017
Police at Charlottesville station confirmed to me that the driver/attacker has been detained
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
It appears as though one person has died as a result. Mayor Mike Signer tweeted this from his personal account Saturday afternoon:
I am heartbroken that a life has been lost here. I urge all people of good will–go home.
— Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) August 12, 2017
The Charlottesville mayor has confirmed that one person is dead, as eyewitness of the car attack said earlier.
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
Montgomery earlier had spoken to several eyewitnesses.
One eyewitness is saying to CBS19 that the people hit were an Antifa bloc
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
Just heard from one eyewitness that there are 6 injured, one in critical condition if not dead
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
Another eyewitness said she moved 3 people off the street and that the car backed up to gain more speed and drove into the crowd.
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
Nick McCarthy, another eyewitness, confirmed the account of the car backing up and racing toward the crowd
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
McCarthy said he leapt out of the way of the car.
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
McCarthy said there were no license plates on the car and that there was a dark tint on the windows, so he didn't see the driver.
— Blake Montgomery ? (@blakersdozen) August 12, 2017
A dramatic photo from The Daily Progress, however, very clearly shows a license plate, as well as people running to dodge the speeding car.
DRAMATIC @DailyProgress photo shows car seconds before it his pedestrians. #Charlottesville. https://t.co/JA7gu0OWen pic.twitter.com/3Pwq0ZFK4y
— Times-Dispatch (@RTDNEWS) August 12, 2017
Taylor Lorenz of The Hill was recording at the time but says someone punched her in the face and kicked her phone.
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896442048928260096
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896442225600671744
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896442463556182020
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896442666510110720
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896443867691716609
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896444307800023040
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896444386875240448
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896444548171182080
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896444790568570880
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896445039311802368
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896446636049784832
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896447579730452481
Here’s a shot of the scene from above, showing other cars that were involved in the incident, as well as a shot of the car that rammed the crowd.
From above the aftermath of the crash. Two of the three vehicles involved remain. pic.twitter.com/fQSdsfxJlp
— Anna Higgins (@AnnaDHiggs) August 12, 2017
No sign of driver. Forensics unit on scene pic.twitter.com/SlEbscuUys
— Matt Spitzer (@matthewspitzer) August 12, 2017
https://twitter.com/TaylorLorenz/status/896455451902128129
* * *
Update:
One death has been confirmed, with 19 others injured.
UVA hospital confirms one person killed, nineteen others hurt in #Charlottesville.
— Hallie Jackson (@HallieJackson) August 12, 2017
UPDATE: City Commonwealth Attorney says vehicle into crowd being handled as a homicide. @NBC29
— Henry Graff (@HenryGraff) August 12, 2017
* * *
Related:
UPDATE: Many injured after a car "plows through dozens of protesters" in #Charlottesville https://t.co/qkhzh45nPG
— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) August 12, 2017