Driver apologizes for driving through protesters says it was ‘bad choice’
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PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) — A video shared by Portland police shows a green car approaching a group of Portland protesters at southeast 33rd Avenue and Powell Boulevard on Saturday.
In the video a few demonstrators are seen attacking the car, slamming the windows and puncturing the tires. An object can also be heard being dragged under the car.
A witness tells FOX 12 that it was a one-wheel scooter, that the driver had ran over seconds before this video began.
“The driver accelerated went straight into the group,” the witness said. “Other people had to jump out of the way, he ran overt wo bikes and one of those one-wheel riders.”
On Sunday, FOX 12 spoke to the man behind the wheel who also doesn’t want to show his face, for fear of retaliation.
“Essential I drove into people – I knew they’d jump out of the way which they did – they didn’t grab their bicycles and stuff when they got out of the way,” the driver said. “I was a little upset at the time and bad a choice to try to go around their blockade. Then they proceeded to slash my tires, break my windows out, and uh, when I realized I couldn’t get away I pulled over.”
The man eventually stopped here, at Plaid Pantry. Eventually police arrived. No arrests were made. The clerk inside tells me the driver got a beer and started drinking it in line as he waited for police.
“I don’t even know what’s going on with the Black Lives Matter thing,” he said. “I don’t know why they’re protesting, I don’t follow media at all. I was simply trying to get around them and go down the road they were blocking, I think they took it as an attack. I understand that. To whoever is out there, BLM, you guys are passionate about your case I apologize for what I did. I hope we can forget about it and move on.”
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