Protesters Hit In Times Square Collision File Police Report

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Two men have filed a police report alleging that they were injured by the driver who plowed into a Black Lives Matter protest in Times Square on Thursday, the NYPD confirmed.

The men, ages 38 and 35, told police they suffered non-life threatening injuries when they were hit by the black Ford Taurus as it sped into a crowd of demonstrators on 46th Street, NYPD spokesperson Sergeant Jessica McRorie told Patch.

Sanford Rubenstein, an attorney for the victims, said their injuries included broken bones and cuts that required stitches, according to Gothamist. In a news conference in Times Square on Saturday, Rubenstein said he was not naming his clients due to fears of retribution by Trump supporters, and added that three more victims were expected to file their own report, Gothamist reported.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said last week that the department was investigating the collision, but was unable to charge the driver unless victims came forward. The department said Saturday that an investigation is ongoing.

Car drives through protesters, Times Square, New York City, Thursday, September 3, 2020 pic.twitter.com/yMadwNYJSI
— DataInput (@datainput) September 4, 2020

A police spokesperson told Gothamist last week that the Taurus was filled with pro-police counterprotesters who had been asked to leave the area. Officers had ushered the group through a nearby hotel parking lot but "missed the turn," leading them to drive toward the crowd, Gothamist reported.

The NYPD has denied that the car belonged to them. Multiple elected officials have pledged to investigate the collision, including State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents Midtown, and who asked Shea and Mayor Bill de Blasio whether any NYPD officers were inside the vehicle, and why police had escorted the group.

In an appearance on Good Day New York Friday morning, Shea said police were still investigating whether a crime had been committed. He added that "we have a lot of information" about the incident, including an idea of who was inside the car.

Several hundred demonstrators had gathered in Times Square to protest the killing of Daniel Prude, a Rochester man who died of asphyxiation in March after police officers put a hood over his head and pressed his face into the pavement for two minutes.

Video of Prude's arrest was released last Wednesday by his family and has triggered a new round of protests, as his family calls for the police officers involved to be fired and charged with murder. New York Attorney General Letitia James is investigating Prude's death.