After violence caused authorities to stop a white nationalist rally before it began Saturday, a driver plowed his car into a crowd of protesters.
The driver has been identified as James Alex Fields, 20, of Ohio, according to CNN. He was arrested and charged with second degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of failing to stop at an accident that resulted in a death, according to police.
Department of Justice officials opened a civil rights investigation Saturday into the deadly car attack, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Virginia and the Richmond field office of the FBI said.
“The violence and deaths in Charlottesville strike at the heart of American law and justice,” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in a statement. “When such actions arise from racial bigotry and hatred, they betray our core values and cannot be tolerated.”
A 32-year-old woman who was crossing the street was killed and 19 people were injured, the Associated Press confirmed with hospital officials. Altogether 35 people were treated for injuries.
The incident took place approximately two hours after violent clashes between white nationalists and counter-protesters caused authorities to declare the "Unite the Right" rally an unlawful assembly, The Associated Press reported.
The white nationalists were protesting the city of Charlottesville's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. The group carried torches at a rally Friday night.
Several hundred protesters were marching when the car appeared to deliberately drive into a group of them, The Associated Press reported. Virginia State Police said injuries ranged from life-threatening to minor.
The Associated Press reported that the driver has been arrested.
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