MO Car Hits Protester, Gunfire Briefly Erupts at Ferguson Protest

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Others among the roughly 75 protesters began trying to cut off the car, which then reversed direction to try to avoid the crowd, according to several witnesses.

At that point, witnesses said, several protesters pulled out guns and began chasing and firing at the fleeing car.

It appears the driver did not intentionally strike the protester, according to Ferguson spokesman Jeff Small, who said the woman is being “very, very cooperative” with police.

"Investigators say the woman was simply driving down West Florissant at nighttime, unaware someone was standing in the street, until it was too late to stop before hitting them," Small said in a statement Wednesday morning.

He said there were bullet holes in the woman’s car, but no one in the vehicle was injured.
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_5d7c259d-1dd6-5223-bd3d-bb67322cf9bd.html

Have they arrested the ones who were shooting guns?
 
Ah. Here's more.
Police have not yet located the man who was knocked down by the car on West Florissant Avenue just north of Ferguson Avenue just after dark, but police believe they have identified him, said Chief Delrish Moss. Friends whisked him away before paramedics arrived, leaving investigators to contact hospitals to try to identify him.

Ferguson police said he had ignored warnings to get out of the street.

The driver of a Chevrolet Impala told officers she was distracted by the 75 to 100 protesters when she struck him. Officials said, “All evidence supports her account of not seeing a person standing in the street, until it was too late to stop before hitting them.”

The driver was “too afraid to stop as she left the scene to contact police,” according to the city statement.

Moss said her vehicle was struck by gunfire at least 10 times from different directions. He said she initially tried to stop after hitting the man, but was quickly surrounded and then fired upon, so she fled the area and parked at a nearby gas station where she called police to report the incident.

Police said a second vehicle, carrying two people and stopped at a signal nearby, also was struck by gunfire. The victims in that car also drove away from the shooting scene and flagged down the first officer they saw, which was a St. Louis County police officer, to report what happened.

Moss said he doesn't believe charges are warranted at this point against the driver or the pedestrian who was struck, and his department is focused on identifying the shooters who put innocent lives in danger.

He is asking anyone who recorded the incident to call his department because the footage could help identify the shooters.
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http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_928b5f1f-6702-5826-8f6e-590b926a94c5.html

BBM.

That woman, and the passengers in the second vehicle are VERY lucky to be alive. It's a very good thing she didn't stop or get out of the car, or she would be dead for sure. So much for "peaceful protests." Hope they catch the shooters and the gun/s, but with the street "code", I doubt they will.
 
Oh boy. i can see this turning very ugly.
 
K_Z said:
Ah. Here's more.


http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_928b5f1f-6702-5826-8f6e-590b926a94c5.html

BBM.

That woman, and the passengers in the second vehicle are VERY lucky to be alive. It's a very good thing she didn't stop or get out of the car, or she would be dead for sure. So much for "peaceful protests." Hope they catch the shooters and the gun/s, but with the street "code", I doubt they will.
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Could have been a total Reginald Denny situation. My thing is, these shooters were out there protesting that police shouldn't use lethal force like they do, but they were ready to use lethal force to stop someone who hit someone standing in the road? A wee bit hypocritical. But I'm sure they were just outside agitators. :facepalm:
 
Video of the incident.
[video=youtube;nfzsMDl1GNY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfzsMDl1GNY[/video]
 
scmom said:
Video of the incident.
[video=youtube;nfzsMDl1GNY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfzsMDl1GNY[/video]
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I don't know how he didn't leave the scene on stretcher. That was hard to watch!
 
scmom said:
A day of peaceful commemoration of the second anniversary of Michael Brown’s death was marred Tuesday night when gunfire broke out after a protester was struck by a motorist.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/...cle_5d7c259d-1dd6-5223-bd3d-bb67322cf9bd.html
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Is this in the word processing templates of every non-PC reporter covering such events:

Headline: "March Was Peaceful until It Wasn't; Senseless Violence Erupted into Injuries & Deaths; Arson; No Arrests"

"A peaceful commemoration in __(city) of the __ anniversary of ____'s death was interrupted ___ (morning/afternoon/night) when gunfire broke out injuring ___ (number) of protesters and ___ (number) of law enforcement officers and leaving ____ (number) of officers dead.

"Traffic was halted on ____ (street names) for ___ hours.

"____ (number) buildings at the intersection of __ & __ were set on fire & completely destroyed. Firefighters could not reach them in time because protestors blocked traffic from all directions.

"Bricks, bottles, molotov cocktails...

"No arrests were made, as it was determined that nobody was responsible for their criminal acts.

"At a ___ (time) media conference, Mayor ____ (name) offered (his/her) condolences & reassurances ___ (usual useless blather).


I think anyone here could fill in the ^ blanks and complete the article. No offense intended. A sad, sad, sad thought, this ^ is so commonplace. JM2cts
 
The 'protester' was just standing there in the lane of traffic. I wonder what he thought would happen. I'm glad the lady didn't stop for long because the 'peaceful protesters' were shooting at her.
 
Dogface said:
I don't know how he didn't leave the scene on stretcher. That was hard to watch!
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Good grief! That street wasn't even blocked off!! What in the world?? Why didn't police break this up, or position their squad cars to block off the road until they could disperse the crowd?

These protesters do no have any "right" to run out in front of traffic. Why was this allowed by the police to happen on a busy street?? That's what we should be asking the police chief, mayor, etc. Why no arrests of the protesters??

Wait-- I know why. "Political correctness."

Hell no, that woman shouldn't be charged with ANYTHING. IMO. :gaah: :maddening:
 
Witnesses say protesters tried to cut off the car. The driver reversed, and tried to head the opposite direction. That is when gunshots erupted.

Several protesters attempted to chase down the driver, firing as the driver sped off. Others hid behind cars for safety.

"It was an accident. She was distracted by the many protesters. He was standing in the middle of the roadway. He was texting on his phone and he should have not been there. We warned him, and he did not head those warnings." said Ferguson Police Chief Delrish Moss.

http://fox2now.com/2016/08/10/polic...ed-shots-after-ferguson-protester-hit-by-car/

So much for BLM protesters being peaceful.
 
K_Z said:
Good grief! That street wasn't even blocked off!! What in the world?? Why didn't police break this up, or position their squad cars to block off the road until they could disperse the crowd?

These protesters do no have any "right" to run out in front of traffic. Why was this allowed by the police to happen on a busy street?? That's what we should be asking the police chief, mayor, etc. Why no arrests of the protesters??

Wait-- I know why. "Political correctness."

Hell no, that woman shouldn't be charged with ANYTHING. IMO. :gaah: :maddening:
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I think that the police do try to break things up and do try to position their squad cars to block off roads.

The problem is is that the police are met with violent resistant and what could take thirty minutes or so in order to achieve the above goals; ends up lasting for hours on end.
In addition to violent resistance; the protesters will sit or lay down in the middle of the street, or block off the whole street and major highways. (I realize that you already know what I've stated).

I admire your posts; I wish that I could convey my feelings as well as you do.
I agree with most of what you've shared; except that I don't think that the police had a chance to implement a plan that you've suggested?

It did cross my mind that perhaps if the police did have the time (to implement a plan) and the manpower available to implement the plan, perhaps they thought that breaking the situation up or blocking the road would escalate the protest into what we have seen over and over? More violence.

I feel so frustrated.

I may have read the initial news reports incorrectly. Was it stated that LE could not locate the protester that was injured? I don't understand why he did not wait right there to receive medical care and give a statement? Something is not right.

I have faith that LE will locate the shooter's (alleged attempted murderer's) and that they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the current law.
Every person that was in the vicinity during the shooting's were very, very lucky that they were not shot, injured or murdered; but what will happen the next time? Scary yes?
While composing this post I haven't had the chance to check and see if the alleged attempted murderer's were apprehended. Even more frightening, yes?

Thank you for the link scmom. I hope that I haven't offended you with this particular post.
Evidently; I offended you on another thread :confused:; my apologies.
I think that you are a wonderful member here and look forward to reading your opinion and the links that you provide. :)
 
I've watched livestreams where protesters have been run down by civilians and once by a law enforcement van. I wouldn't begin to defend whoever shot at the vehicles, but I question anyone that doesn't slow down when driving through any area where people are gathered - and I don't mean just protests (people outside of entertainment events have also been hit by drivers who aren't paying close enough attention). And yes protesters do take to the streets to stop traffic: sometimes the police do it and other times the protesters themselves do. Anyone that's been in or watched protests knows this. I'm not saying that the woman intended to hit anyone - only she knows that (although I'm inclined to doubt it was intentional) - but fact is that people need to pay attention when there are people standing in or by a road (or in a parking lot or anywhere else). To me that's common sense, just like slowing down in a school crossing zone is. I saw a friend hit by a car a few years back during a protest, and there's no way it wasn't intentional. Thankfully for him the car was moving slowly and he wasn't seriously hurt - and he didn't attempt to retaliate nor did anyone else in the march. But it seemed very clear the driver felt inconvenienced by having to wait for a few minutes due to the protest march. And no the police didn't question the driver, just like they didn't attempt to talk to, stop or even find other drivers who did the same to other people (all in different states). Obviously the police van wasn't detained - either professional courtesy or the cops didn't care. Protests might not be pretty but they are protected under the first amendment - and being pretty isn't the goal anyway. Again the shooting is a different matter, but there is so much hate boiling over in this country that things are getting very ugly, and sadly a few outspoken politicians and others in power are encouraging hate and violence. I find that unacceptable. Just my opinion based on personal experience and livestreams that I've watched (and it might not be a popular one). I don't have a problem with others that feel differently - unless those others are advocating violence against people that *are* peacefully protesting and expressing their first amendment rights.
 
maconrich said:
I've watched livestreams where protesters have been run down by civilians and once by a law enforcement van. I wouldn't begin to defend whoever shot at the vehicles, but I question anyone that doesn't slow down when driving through any area where people are gathered - and I don't mean just protests (people outside of entertainment events have also been hit by drivers who aren't paying close enough attention). And yes protesters do take to the streets to stop traffic: sometimes the police do it and other times the protesters themselves do. Anyone that's been in or watched protests knows this. I'm not saying that the woman intended to hit anyone - only she knows that (although I'm inclined to doubt it was intentional) - but fact is that people need to pay attention when there are people standing in or by a road (or in a parking lot or anywhere else). To me that's common sense, just like slowing down in a school crossing zone is. I saw a friend hit by a car a few years back during a protest, and there's no way it wasn't intentional. Thankfully for him the car was moving slowly and he wasn't seriously hurt - and he didn't attempt to retaliate nor did anyone else in the march. But it seemed very clear the driver felt inconvenienced by having to wait for a few minutes due to the protest march. And no the police didn't question the driver, just like they didn't attempt to talk to, stop or even find other drivers who did the same to other people (all in different states). Obviously the police van wasn't detained - either professional courtesy or the cops didn't care. Protests might not be pretty but they are protected under the first amendment - and being pretty isn't the goal anyway. Again the shooting is a different matter, but there is so much hate boiling over in this country that things are getting very ugly, and sadly a few outspoken politicians and others in power are encouraging hate and violence. I find that unacceptable. Just my opinion based on personal experience and livestreams that I've watched (and it might not be a popular one). I don't have a problem with others that feel differently - unless those others are advocating violence against people that *are* peacefully protesting and expressing their first amendment rights.
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If the car was moving slowly, why didn't your friend move out of the road? It's illegal to block roads. And police had asked him to move. But police, in an effort to not go in heavy handed, probably as a result of Pershing Park, try to resolve it without escalation. Typically police give a warning, and a chance to correct it. And I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but wearing dark clothing, standing in the middle of the road at night is going to get you ran over.
 
Perhaps the woman did not slow down because she was frightened...just trying to get out of the area, went down the street not knowing what was going on and then just wanted out of there. If you stand in the middle of the street taking selfies or texting or whatever then if you get hit its on you...
 
And once again the media inciting a lot of this by CHOOSING to only show the part of the video that will give them the most play time. Not the part of the person trying to do the right thing.
Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKQjUObJmFo&feature=youtu.be

The car turned around and came back, going around the building when she got fired upon. No way in hell would I get out either.
 
My issue is I just don't think 75-100 people have any kind of right, constitutional or otherwise, to spontaneously congregate to block a busy road and create massive safety hazards for themselves and others. I don't think that's a valid way to "assemble" and "protest". I'm all for free speech and right to assemble under controlled circumstances, such as designated "free speech" areas. It's the same thing as the example of "yelling fire in a crowded theater"-- our free speech rights are not absolute. I don't think our "freedom to assemble" and "protest" are absolute, either. A raucous crowd has no "right", for example, to spill out onto an active airport runway. Likewise, blocking or impeding traffic, or rail lines, buses, etc. should be policed assertively, and the crowd dispersed. Assemblies on private property, when the owner hasn't invited them, should be policed and dispersed, also.

I think what has happened in Ferguson, as elsewhere in the U.S., is that police are less willing to do their jobs where these groups of "protesters" gather. They have seen how the lives of other officers have been ruined by malicious prosecution, death threats from vicious terroristic groups, little initial support from police authorities, etc. So they police less assertively. Understandably cautious and self protective. I don't blame them. They have an impossible job these days.
 
Dogface said:
If the car was moving slowly, why didn't your friend move out of the road? It's illegal to block roads. And police had asked him to move. But police, in an effort to not go in heavy handed, probably as a result of Pershing Park, try to resolve it without escalation. Typically police give a warning, and a chance to correct it. And I am sorry if this sounds harsh, but wearing dark clothing, standing in the middle of the road at night is going to get you ran over.
Click to expand...
It doesn't sound harsh. He was in the back line of a large protest that had taken to the street. Those in the back, front, and often the sides tend to put themselves in position to protect the other marchers by literally taking the first hit if someone tries to drive thru or otherwise harm them (or make arrests). In this instance police on bikes were lining the sides of the protest and moving with them (which is usually the case) and most intersections were blocked by police to let them pass. The streets were well lit and most of the protesters were wearing normal street clothes including my friend, so they were obvious to anyone approaching including the car that hit my friend and another protester. The car did stop for a couple of seconds after making contact - basically long enough for the two that were hit to get up off the ground, and the crowd parted to let the car pass. The tag number was noted and video of the tag and the car were captured by one of the livestreamers. When intersections, roads and sometimes even sidewalks are blocked by protesters the police usually give three warnings to disperse before they attempt to move people (or make arrests, use less than lethal weapons or whatever). Obviously this isn't always the case and each protest (and police department) tends to have its own dynamics. But even if the general public is clueless (I'm not saying you are clueless but many people are), there are certain protocols that both protesters and police are aware of and tend to follow. Not attempting to speed thru the (or any) crowd in a vehicle is basically a no brainer (firetrucks, emt's etc are always allowed to pass and protesters give them plenty of room). The driver of the car that hit my friend only needed to wait for a few minutes, but apparently he didn't feel like waiting and thankfully no one was seriously hurt. At times police do escalate situations with heavy handed tactics, but more often than not they let the protest play out / get to where it's going no matter if the march has a permit or not. And they'll often follow behind the march to protect protesters from vehicles. Clearly this is harder for them to do when more spontaneous marches start, when marchers veer off in an unexpected direction, or when people gather beside a road (and some people are off the road and others are on it). Again, my main point is that people should always be aware of what's going on around them and should slow down and use caution when they see a crowd of people along side or in the street - a fast moving vehicle can be a deadly weapon when used against a person or people. A vehicle should not be used to plow thru a protest, a parade or any other group of people. Period.
 
I wonder how the law would apply in a case like this. I think it would be very hard to get a unanimous jury to find fault with the driver unless it was proven that the driver delibertly swerved to hit the protester. IMO
I hope we never see how this would play out in court, but with the way protesters try to take over the streets and highways it is bound to happen.
 
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