A man has been arrested after allegedly driving a car into a crowd and shooting a protester in Seattle, Washington. According to the Seattle Times, the incident occurred on Sunday night during a protest over the death of George Floyd and police brutality. The harrowing experience was caught on camera, with the driver seen plowing into the crowd in a small black car.
Protest attendee B.J. Hayes witnessed the car driving into the crowd, and he told the Seattle Times, “I thought he was plowing right into the crowd.” He added that he was certain he “was going to see a bunch of bodies flying through the air.” As the car comes to stop, a black protester runs up to the car to try and defuse the situation, but as he appears to wrestle with the individual inside, he is then seen suddenly falling to the ground. The man emerges from the car, and it is noticed that he is white, and brandishing a handgun, which he used to shoot the protester in the arm.
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Suspect in custody, gun recovered after man drove vehicle into crowd at 11th and Pine. Seattle Fire transported victim to hospital. Officers searched, but do not believe there are any additional victims. Will provide updates when available.
— Seattle Police Dept. (@SeattlePD) June 8, 2020
The shooter then tried to flee through the crowd, but protesters followed him and pointed him out along the way. The Seattle Police Department has since issued a statement, revealing that they have the suspect in custody, and have recovered the gun. The victim was reportedly taken to Harborview Medical Center. He is said to be in stable condition.
Notably, before his death, Floyd spoke out against gun violence in a recently surfaced video. In the clip, Floyd commented on gun use, saying “It’s clearly the generation after us that’s so lost, man.” He continued, “You youngsters just going around busting guns in crowds, kids getting killed.” Floyd then turned his focus toward his own generation, criticizing them for “condoning” the use of handguns and other firearms. “You know what I’m saying,” Floyd said, then adding that the young people who commit acts of gun violence “go home and their knees shaking at night, but they don’t show it to nobody because they aren’t tough then.” Finally, Floyd begged the younger generation to “go home,” adding, “It’s going to be you and God. You’re going up or you’re going down.”
