Bloomington residents react to Black Lives Matter protesters being hit by SUV
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) – Viral video shows a car ramming into a group of protesters in Bloomington.
That protest happening Monday night.
The video was taken during a Black Lives Matter protest.
“It’s just kind of scary. You wouldn’t expect, especially in Bloomington, stuff to kind of occur violently like that or get that hectic,” said Sitav Elturan, after watching the video for the first time.
“Irrational behavior by the driver,” said Zach Warren, who also watched the video. “There’s no reason to even have to try to run someone over. Like, what is the reason for that?”
It’s not known what happened before or after the recording. But the SUV’s windshield is broken.
The Herald Times is reporting that no one was arrested or seriously injured. They’re also reporting that police never showed up, despite that clash happening in front of the police department.
“I don’t know what the driver was thinking, but that’s scary. He just drove into them,” said Elturan.
The Black Lives Matter rally was organized by several black student groups at IU. The protest started on campus at the Sample Gates and then weaved through the streets of Bloomington. According to the Facebook invite, 250 people went.
“As long as the protest was peaceful, and they weren’t causing any harm, then let do what they want,” said Warren.
“Just like watching that video, it’s so crazy to me that something that’s such a decent cause would incite violence, or someone would drive right into that,” said Elturan.
Bloomington Police couldn’t be reached for comment.
24-Hour News 8 also reached out to the student groups that organized the protest. The president of the Black Student Union ultimately refused an on-camera interview, but said they don’t condone violence.
