Man Who Drove Into Seattle Protest Appears In Court

SEATTLE, WA — The man accused of driving a car into a demonstration and shooting a protester Sunday appeared in court Monday, and has been booked into jail after a judge found probable cause for felony assault.

On Sunday evening at 11th Ave and E Pine Street, demonstrators had been peacefully protesting for hours, until just after 8 p.m when a car travelling east up Pine started to push through the hundreds of people crowded there. Video shows that at one point the car speeds up, as if to ram the crowd. While that happens, one protester approaches the car and reaches in the open window in an apparent attempt to slow the car down. The video shows the driver retaliate by shooting that protester, later identified as Dan Gregory, in the arm.

The footage embedded below shows what happened next: the car appears to be stopped by a chunk of barricade and the driver jumps out, waving his pistol at protesters, before running up the hill towards police. (Warning: The video might be difficult for some to watch)

According to court documents, the driver, identified by police as 31-year-old Nikolas Fernandez, yelled at police as he approached their barrier "I just had to shoot somebody, they tried to jack my car."

After his arrest and through subsequent interviews with police, court documents tell Fernandez's version of events: that he "thought he could get through so he continued driving". Then, Fernandez told police, protesters began to approach his car, and he "was getting barricaded by everybody and he was fearing for his life" when he shot Gregory.

Fernandez says that's when his car stalled, so he left on foot, continuing to brandish the pistol out of fear of the protesters. Fernandez also told police his brother works at the Seattle Police East Precinct, the exact building the demonstrators had been protesting outside.

On Monday, Fernandez appeared before a judge, who found probable cause that he be held for felony assault. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked that he be assigned $350,000 bail, but the judge set his bail at $150,000 after hearing from Fernandez's family members. Fernandez's next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon.

Police also interviewed shooting victim Dan Gregory while he was being treated for the gunshot wound at Harborview Medical Center. Gregory told police he saw Fernandez's vehicle picking up speed as it came towards protesters, estimating it got up to 40 or 50 miles per hour. He says he then tried to reach inside the window to turn the steering wheel, realized redirecting the car might just cause it to drive into other protesters, and instead punched Fernandez in the face. That's when Fernandez drew a gun and shot him, according to court documents.

Gregory was hit in the upper right arm and has been diagnosed with an associated fractured humerus. To help pay his medical bills, a fundraiser has been set up on GoFundMe. At last check, it has raised more than $174,000 in just 11 hours after it was posted.

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