One of two Seattle protesters hit by car dies, other in ICU

[July 06, 2020]  By Kanishka Singh and Peter Szekely

(Reuters) - Two female protesters in Seattle were hit on Saturday by a speeding car that drove into a crowd demonstrating on an interstate highway, causing injuries that led to the death of one, while leaving the other in serious condition.

Seattle has been the scene of numerous protests, some on interstate highways, since the May 25 killing of George Floyd, a Black man, on a Minneapolis street while he was in police custody, and which was captured on video.

Summer Taylor died late on Saturday at Harborview Medical Center, a spokeswoman, Susan Gregg, told Reuters by telephone, adding that Diaz Love, the other injured protester, was in the intensive care unit.

Police said the car driver, a 27-year-old Seattle man, was arrested at the scene of the accident, which took place about 1:30 a.m. PDT (0830 GMT), and faces multiple felony charges.

"He was placed in custody when troopers arrived on scene," Chase Van Cleave, a Washington State Patrol trooper told Reuters by phone earlier.

"The investigation is still ongoing. At this time we're not suspecting drugs or alcohol as a factor in the crash."

Investigators do not know if the driver intended to hit the demonstrators, he added.

Washington State Patrol investigates the scene where two people in a group of protesters were stuck by a car on Interstate 5 while the highway was closed to traffic due to the protest in Seattle, Washington, U.S., July 4, 2020. REUTERS/Jason Redmond

A video of the incident posted on social media shows a lone white car speeding up Interstate-5, swerving to avoid a van that was parked to block the roadway and heading toward a small group of panicked protesters who tried to scurry away.

The car can be seen striking two individuals, who were both flipped over its roof to land on the pavement.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Bengaluru and Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Diane Craft and Clarence Fernandez)

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