A self-proclaimed leader of the Ku Klux Klan could face hate crime charges after police said he deliberately drove his truck into a peaceful crowd protesting the death of George Floyd on a Richmond, Virginia, roadway Sunday.
The incident happened on the same day that an armed man drove through a barricade at a protest in Seattle and opened fire, wounding one demonstrator in the arm, according to authorities.
In the Virginia episode, Harry H. Rogers, 36, of Hanover County was arrested after witnesses said he revved his truck’s engine and plowed through the crowd late Sunday afternoon, according to Henrico County police.
Miraculously, only one person was injured but refused treatment, according to reports.
Rogers, charged with malicious wounding, felony vandalism, and assault and battery, is being held without bond.
Witnesses at the scene reported seeing Rogers truck do a U-turn and jump a curb before allegedly hitting the crowd, where children were also gathered.
Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said Monday that she is considering hate crime charges against Rogers, who "is an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan and a propagandist for Confederate ideology," she said, according to a report by The Richmond Times-Dispatch.
A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Aug. 18.
In the Seattle incident, neither the suspect nor the victim was named by officials. The alleged shooter was arrested, and the wounded 27-year-old man was in stable condition after being taken to a nearby hospital, CBS News reported.
There were no other injuries, and the gun was recovered at the scene, according to reports.
The shooting happened on a second day of heated protest in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, where several officers have been injured, according to reports.
A bystander took cellphone video of Sunday’s incident that reportedly shows a suspect get out of a vehicle that had just plowed into a barricade near the intersection where protesters were peacefully gathered.
The footage reportedly showed what appears to be a handgun as a man emerges from the car and runs into the crowd, according to reports.
Next, panic ensues, then a single shot rings out.
One witness said the victim may have been trying to stop the car from driving into the crowd when he was shot, however, officials have not confirmed this account, NBC reported.
The crowd turned unruly after the shooting and began hurling projectiles at officers, who responded with pepper spray, blast balls and tear gas, NBC reported.
Floyd’s death two weeks ago after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for nearly nine minutes has sparked worldwide protests against racism and police brutality.
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