A driver has plowed into protesters and killed a woman at the site of demonstrations over the shooting of armed black man Winston 'Boo...
A driver has plowed into protesters and killed a woman at the site of demonstrations over the shooting of armed black man Winston 'Boogie' Smith.
The man was pulled from his car and beaten by the crowd before being taken away in handcuffs by police late on Sunday in the Uptown area of Minneapolis.
Two protesters were rushed to hospital after being struck by the car, with one described as 'very critical.' One of them, a woman, died in the early hours of Monday.
They were demonstrating outside a parking garage where 32-year-old Smith was shot dead earlier this month after he pulled a gun and allegedly fired on US Marshals trying to arrest him on a federal warrant for possession of a firearm.
The convicted felon, who had racked up at least 20 arrests since 2007, has become a talisman for activists who have commandeered the roads where he was shot dead, setting up a shrine, like the one for George Floyd just three miles away.
The driver was pulled from his car and beaten by the crowd before being taken away in handcuffs by police late on Sunday in the Uptown area of Minneapolis (pictured: the suspect, left, and the woman lying on the ground, right)
A smashed car at the scene which the cameraman says the driver was in 'going at 100 miles an hour'
A man holds the suspect in a choke hold on the road as blood pours down his forehead.
They were demonstrating outside a parking garage where 32-year-old Winston Smith (pictured) was shot dead earlier this month after he pulled a gun and allegedly fired on US Marshals trying to arrest him on a warrant for possession of a firearm
At around 11.40pm on Sunday, the driver sped into this area of Lake Street and S. Girard Avenue.
Footage captured by a protester shows the driver being held in a choke hold on the road as blood pours down his forehead.
The person filming shouts: 'This n**** just came through 100 miles an hour, smashed this car and he just f***ing killed her.'
The camera pans to a badly damaged SUV across the street where a woman can be seen receiving treatment from other protesters.
The suspect is seen being hauled around by a man who keeps his arm firmly around his neck.
As he pleads for police, the cameraman tells him: 'You're going down boy, you're going down, it's over. You bitch.'
The suspect replies: 'I did not mean to.'
The scene is confusing and chaotic, there appears to be no police presence and no paramedics to treat the woman on the ground.
The man filming the video and others seem to be shocked that they are having to keep the suspect prisoner and that police haven't arrived.
After a few minutes a convoy of police cars rolls in and the suspect is handed over to them.
Police said that a man was in custody but did not reveal any further details or a suspected motive.
The Uptown neighbourhood, like George Floyd Square, has been turned into a memorial to Smith since he was shot dead on June 3. Roads are closed and anti-police graffiti covers the streets and buildings nearby.
Officers arrive in the area after a few minutes, setting up a crime scene and moving people back
Protesters painted the alleyway where Smith died last week with the writing: 'Blood on their hands.'
Local residents and business owners say they are concerned that the neighbourhood has become lawless.
On Sunday, the Juut Salon Spa, a fixture at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lake Street announced it was a closing after 35 years.
Posting on its Facebook page, the salon said: 'It has become more and more evident that Uptown continues to struggle with store closings, social unrest, crime and street closures.
'We would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to our team members or clients. With that at the forefront, we made this difficult decision.'
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