Orange County Protests: Car Plows Through Crowd, Hundreds Gather

ORANGE COUNTY, CA — People across Orange County took to the streets again Wednesday, joining a number of demonstrations protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police.

Most were conflict-free, but around 4:40 p.m. Wednesday, a white Mini Cooper drove through a crowd of peaceful protesters in Newport Beach, coming close to hitting multiple people, Newport Beach police spokesman Heather Rangel told Patch. Don Wallace, a Newport Beach man in his 50s, was arrested and booked on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, Rangel said.

Protesters said they feared the driver would kill them.

“The rage on his face, he was determined to kill somebody," witness Brandon Yamawaki told Fox. "He went right through me, I threw my bike in between me and the car before it hit me. I looked to the right and he kept spinning down and there were three children right in the way."

Wednesday's first protest began in Anaheim, where about 300 people gathered starting at 10 a.m. at City Hall. After a peaceful demonstration, a larger group of about 500 began marching around the city before returning to City Hall shortly after noon, the city said.

Crowd sets down Center Street toward Harbor for beginning of March, 11:34 pic.twitter.com/8IbuTlg8XE
— City of Anaheim (@City_of_Anaheim) June 3, 2020

In Newport Beach, where four separate protests were planned Wednesday, the first event began around noon at the intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway. Videos shared on social media showed demonstrators holding signs and chanting George Floyd's name while passing cars honked in support.

About 300 to 400 protesters were drawn to the rally, city spokesman John Pope said.

#BLMprotest #BLM #NewportBeach pic.twitter.com/NxDhKhbssa
— shaya (@shayag) June 3, 2020

By 1:30 p.m., the vast majority of the crowd had dispersed, leaving a "vocal but peaceful" group of about 60 to 80 protesters, officials said.

A protest in Rancho Santa Margarita drew about 100 people, said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

At least another six protests were planned throughout the county in addition to the Newport Beach events, including one in nearby Irvine, according to Newport Beach Police Chief Jon Lewis.

The Newport Beach events are:

• Noon at MacArthur Boulevard and Pacific Coast Highway;
• 2 p.m. at the Newport Pier;
• 5 p.m. at San Miguel Drive and Avocado Avenue;
• 5 p.m. at Back Bay View Park, Jamboree Road and Pacific Coast Highway.

Businesses within Fashion Island in Newport Beach have decided to close and board up as a precaution before the protests, according to City News Service.

In Garden Grove, a protest against police brutality will be held at 3 p.m. in front of City Hall at 11222 Acacia Parkway.

Protests have largely taken place in white, affluent parts of the Southland, rather than majority-minority areas — a deliberate strategy, according to one organizer.

“We want to go to places of white affluence so that the pain and outrage that we feel can be put right in their faces,” Melina Abdullah, a Black Lives Matter leader, told the Los Angeles Times.

Lewis said authorities hope to avoid any escalation during Wednesday's protests.

The state has been swept in recent days by protests over the police killing of George Floyd, who died May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes while Floyd, 46, begged for air.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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