On Saturday, 40-year-old Tatiana Turner was arrested and charged for driving her car through a pro-Trump group during a clash between protesters and counter-protestors at a Black Lives Matter event outside of Los Angeles (specifically, the suburb of Yorba Linda). Footage of the chaos was captured and uploaded onto social media:
According to a press release from the Orange County Sheriff's Department, Turner has been charged with attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon. The original protest was reportedly organized by a group called Caravan for Justice, with the collection of protesters and counter-protesters being estimated at around 250 when police decided to declare it an unlawful assembly.
The investigation into Turner remains ongoing.
"At approximately 3 p.m. after several dispersal orders, a vehicle in the parking lot of the Yorba Linda Public Library at 18181 Imperial Highway struck at least two individuals," the press release said. "The driver, believed to be part of the Caravan for Justice, continued to leave the parking lot and was detained a short distance away from the incident."
Of the (at least) two people hit, one man broke both his legs, while a woman suffered "major and moderate injuries." They are both expected to survive.
This latest instance of a car hitting people involved in these protests follows a pair of incidents from just two days earlier, in which Southern California protesters were struck by a vehicle (and almost struck by another) during an event in Hollywood. Those remain under investigation as police attempt to determine whether the drivers (who have been identified) were the perpetrators of a hit-and-run or the victims of an assault. Painting a larger picture, USA TODAY reports that there have been at least 104 cases of vehicles hitting protesters/counter-protesters since May.
Events that preceded Turner's alleged transgression are BLM protesters shouting "Black lives matter!" while an opposing group waving flags chanted "U-S-A!" Surprisingly enough, this did not lead to a peaceful resolution. The two groups confronted one another, with the Orange County Sheriff's Department adding that they started to get reports of physical altercations between the dueling factions roughly 30 minutes into the event. At least one person was sprayed by another protester with pepper spray, and police ordered those in attendance to disperse by declaring the aforementioned unlawful assembly.
Turner, who is from Long Beach, was arrested a short time after the above footage was recorded. She is being held on $1 million bail, and is slated for a court appearance on Tuesday.
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