One person died and another remained in serious condition after a car collided with protesters on a highway in Seattle.
Summer Taylor, 24, of Seattle, died Saturday night at Harborview Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg said.
Taylor and Diaz Love, 32, of Portland, Oregon, were hit by the car that drove through a crowd of panicked protesters on Interstate 5 around 1:40 a.m. Saturday, authorities said. Love was in serious condition in the intensive care unit, Harborview, Gregg said.
Dawit Kelete of Seattle drove the car around vehicles blocking I-5 and rushed into the crowd at around 1.40 am, according to a police report. Video taken on the scene by protesters showed people yelling “Car! Car! “Before running off the road.
Love was filming the protest in a nearly two-hour live Facebook broadcast titled “Black Femme March Take I-5” when the video abruptly ended. With about 15 seconds left, shouts of “Car!” You can hear it when the camera starts shaking before the tires screech and the sound of impact is heard.
A graphic video posted on social media showed the white Jaguar running towards a group of protesters who were standing behind several parked cars, prepared for their protection. The car swerved around the other vehicles and crashed into the two protesters, sending them flying through the air.
The driver, who was alone, fled the scene, Private Chase Van Cleave said. One of the other protesters got into a car and chased the driver for about a mile. He was able to stop him by pulling his car in front of the Jaguar, Van Cleave said. Soldiers arrived and the driver was taken into custody.
Kelete was described by the offices as reserved and sullen, according to court documents. He also asked if the pedestrians were okay. Kelete was booked into the King County Correctional Facility on Saturday morning on two counts of vehicular assault. Bail was denied. He faces a second hearing on Monday.
Authorities were trying to determine why and where Kelete reached the interstate, which had been closed by the state patrol for more than an hour. Authorities said they suspect Kelete drove the wrong way on a ramp and crossed a barrier that closed the highway.
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 this week after authorities cleared the “Capitol Hill Busy Protest” area on Wednesday morning.
The Washington state patrol said it will no longer allow protesters to enter I-5 and will arrest pedestrians on the highway, which protesters had closed for 19 days in a row.
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