A Black Lives Matter protester died in hospital less than 24 hours after being hit by a car that crashed into a crowd of protesters in Seattle.
Summer Taylor, 24, succumbed to injuries sustained during the collision, which occurred in a closed section of Interstate 5, shortly after 1 a.m. on Saturday.
She was rushed to Harborview Medical Center in a critical injury, before passing away Saturday night.
Taylor, who worked at a Seattle veterinary clinic, was described as “an incredibly strong and independent spirit” in a GoFundMe account created after the accident.
“Summer is a bright and caring person whose presence brings joy and laughter to others,” says the account, which has raised more than $ 40,000.
Fellow protester Diaz Love, 32, was also beaten during the attack and escaped. Diaz remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center.
Love was filming the protest on Facebook Live when the white Jaguar cut through the crowd. The images show people yelling “Car!” before Love’s camera starts shaking and the sound of impact is heard.
Jaguar driver Dawit Kelete, 27, ran out of the scene but was later detained.
Authorities are trying to determine why and how Kelete reached the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour before protesters were attacked.
Summer Taylor, 24, died in hospital less than 24 hours after being hit by a car that crashed into a crowd of protesters in Seattle.
Love and his protest partner Diaz Love are photographed being put into ambulances by the first responders after being hit by a car on Interstate 5.
Diaz Love, 32, (pictured) was also hit by the white Jaguar during the hit and run. She remains in serious condition at Harborview Medical Center
After the incident, another protester got into a car and chased Kelete for about a mile. The protester was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar.
Soldiers arrived and Kelete was arrested.
Kelete was booked into the King County Correctional Facility at 7:24 am Saturday on two counts of vehicular assault.
Bail was denied. It was not immediately clear if Kelete had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Washington State Patrol Captain Ron Mead said he suspected Kelete drove the wrong way on a ramp. Private Rick Johnson said the driver passed through a barrier that closed the highway before hitting Love and Taylor.
The collision sent the two protesters flying through the air, leaving one with life-threatening injuries and the other with serious injuries.
Emergency workers tend to an injured person on the ground after a driver sped through a lockout related to the protest on Interstate 5 in Seattle
Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances rushed to the scene after the collision on Interstate 5 in Seattle on Saturday.
Clothing and other items are strewn across Interstate 5 in Seattle after the crash early Saturday morning.
Soldiers did not know if it was a targeted attack, but deterioration was not considered a factor.
Seattle has been the site of protracted riots following George Floyd’s police murder on May 25 in Minneapolis, which sparked protests across the country.
Dozens of people were arrested last week in connection with the protests as protests continue after authorities cleared the ‘Capitol Busy Protest’ (CHOP) area on Wednesday morning.
Mead said at the press conference that protesters had closed the interstate highway for 19 days in a row.
He stressed that the highway “is simply not a safe place” for pedestrians and said he expected protesters to cease what he called “illegal behavior” by blocking the interstate highway.
The Washington State Patrol released two images (one of them seen above) of the white Jaguar. The image shows damage to the front of the vehicle.
“My hope is that as a result of this tragedy, protesters will reconsider their desire to be on the interstate because I cannot guarantee their safety, it’s that simple,” Mead said.
Protesters were on the highway for more than an hour before the car drove around the blockade around 1:36 a.m., Mead said.
The state patrol tweeted two photos of the driver’s car, a white Jaguar with significant damage to its bumper and windshield.
Seattle police tweeted that they were assisting the State Patrol with the scene, as the southbound lanes of the freeway remained closed for investigation.
The image above shows the aftermath of the collision on Interstate 5 in Seattle as Washington state soldiers investigate
Several police cars were on the scene and soldiers began collecting evidence after the collision on Saturday morning.
Washington State Patrol officers investigate scene after Seattle collision early Saturday morning
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