Truck drives through Breonna Taylor protest in Hollywood, injures at least 1 person
A protester was hit by a pickup truck as it drove through a crowd demonstrating against police brutality on Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard late Thursday, police in Los Angeles said.
Around 300 people were marching when the vehicle struck, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement.
Many were demanding justice for Breonna Taylor, following Wednesday's grand jury decision not to charge three of the officers involved in the raid that led to death of the Black woman in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment last March in connection with her death.
"Shortly after 9:00pm, a blue pick-up truck traveling on Sunset Boulevard maneuvered through the crowd and became involved in an altercation," the LAPD statement said. "As the driver of the pick-up truck attempted to get away from the situation, he struck a protester standing in the street."
The individual suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital, the statement said, adding that the driver of the pick-up truck had been identified but not arrested as the investigation was on-going.
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The statement added that "moments later" a white Prius "became involved in an altercation with individuals in the crowd," after it attempted to drive around the same protest.
"A black pickup truck leading the protests accelerated and pinned that white Prius in, forcing it to come to a stop," the statement said. "The driver of the Prius attempted to flee the area and reversed into a green Mustang behind it. That vehicle was also participating in the protest."
It added that the "drivers of the pick-up truck and the green Mustang attempted to extract the driver of the Prius from his vehicle."
However, that driver was able to get away from the scene.
The protest took place after a grand jury’s decided on Wednesday not to charge three Louisville, Ky. officers involved in the raid that ended with Taylor's death, drawing sharp criticism from activists.
Brett Hankison was the only officer involved in the early morning raid on Taylor's Louisville apartment who was charged, but not in her death. He is accused of first-degree wanton endangerment. Det. Myles Cosgrove, the officer whose rounds killed Taylor, according to the indictment, was not charged.
The grand jury found that Cosgrove was justified in his return of deadly fire after having been fired upon by Taylor's boyfriend, Kenneth Walker.
Taylor, a Black emergency medical technician, was shot multiple times by officers who entered her home using a warrant during a narcotics investigation March 13. The probe involved her ex-boyfriend Jamarcus Glover, a convicted drug dealer, who authorities said had listed her apartment as his address and used it to receive packages.
Walker, who was with her when officers arrived at the door, told police the officers did not identify themselves — a claim disputed by police and a civilian witness, according to Kentucky’s attorney general.
Worried as they pounded on the door, Walker said, he fired off one round from a gun he was licensed to have. It injured one officer, and police returned fire, killing Taylor and some bullets ended up in neighboring apartments.
Hundreds of demonstrators also gathered in Louisville Thursday night, a day after two police officers were shot during protests against the grand jury's decision.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
