Driver whose car pushed through SLO protesters fearful of ‘mob mentality,’ police say
San Luis Obispo police say a driver whose car pushed through a crowd of protesters Tuesday night was fearful of their “mob mentality.”
A drone video released Wednesday by the San Luis Obispo Police Department shows the confrontation between the unnamed driver of a gray vehicle, described in a police news release as a “vandalism victim,” and marchers participating in an anti-racism demonstration.
The drone video shows a crowd of protesters on Chorro Street running toward cars on Pacific Street. A group of about seven demonstrators gather in front of the gray vehicle, which appears to be a van or SUV.
As the driver turns right on Chorro Street, the vehicle continues to move forward, pushing some people out of the way, the video shows.
As the vehicle accelerates through open space, protest organizer Tianna Arata can allegedly be seen swinging a flagpole and striking the car with it. It’s unclear if anyone in the vehicle was struck or hurt.
Protesters who participated in Tuesday’s demonstration have said they committed no acts of violence and did nothing wrong.
But San Luis Obispo police Capt. Jeff Smith said the driver appears fearful of a group that rushed to block cars from passing through.
“I would disagree that the driver initiated this,” Smith said. “The video shows the crowd running toward the car and charging them and falsely imprisoning them. I would be in fear. He’s not accelerating at them. He’s trying to drive away from the crowd and get away the safest way he could. He’s trying to inch forward and they whack him and that’s when he accelerates.”
On Wednesday afternoon, the Police Department sent a news release seeking to identify the driver.
Smith said that person then came forward and identified themselves. Investigators were inspecting the damage to the person’s car, he said.
Smith said that he couldn’t comment on whether charges will be brought against the driver.
SLO police: ‘Repeated conversations’ with protesters about blocking traffic
According to Smith, San Luis Obispo police have had repeated conversations with local protest organizers, including Arata, about not blocking traffic, going on to the freeway or committing acts of violence.
Since a June 1 rally ended when police in riot gear used tear gas to disperse protesters gathered outside the San Luis Obispo police station, “We’ve talked with protest organizers about not getting on the freeway, because that puts our officers, the community and them in danger, and not committing acts of violence,” Smith said. “That’s when we get involved.”
On Tuesday, protesters gathered at Mitchell Park in downtown San Luis Obispo before marching onto Highway 101.
The incident involving the gray vehicle took place toward the end of the rally, around 8 p.m., Smith said.
Arata was arrested about an hour later. Smith said police waited until the crowd had mostly dispersed to avoid further tensions.
Arata was arrested on suspicion of suspicion of participation in a riot, unlawful assembly, conspiracy, unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest, according to a police news release.
“Everything that we’d established in terms of the ground rules was ignored or disregarded,” Smith said.
Smith said that, due to about 20 protests over the past two months, the department didn’t call in for extra patrol officers and had limited resources.
The San Luis Obispo Police Department called for mutual aid of officers from other departments once demonstrators took to Highway 101, Smith said.
“Most of our resources were diverted to the freeway” when the incident with the gray vehicle occurred, Smith said. “This has been expensive and exhausting for officers who were out there.”
Protesters tried to block cars, police say
Smith said there were multiple occasions on Tuesday when protesters blocked cars, saying the demonstrators have no right to do so on city streets.
He added that drivers have the right to try to escape if they feel they’re in danger.
“We’ve been at a number of rallies and there’s a level of frustration,” Smith said. “If people encounter a blocked roadway with protesters, we encourage them to take side streets as a diversion or to try to not drive through. But in this case, the driver saw the crowd coming, and tried to turn away from them.”
“It’s foolish and irresponsible for demonstrators to run and forcefully detain a car, which is the crime of false imprisonment,” Smith said. “And you don’t know if that driver has a medical emergency or child care issue.”
Also on Tuesday, protesters had a separate run-in with the driver of a gray vehicle on Highway 101 who tried to push his way through protesters — hitting county resident Sam Grocott.
As the silver sedan pushed past, protesters smashed the hood and rear window of the vehicle, which, according to police, had a 4-year-old child in the back seat.
A video of the incident acquired by the Tribune shows the car push into the protesters, hitting one person. After protesters move aside, the vehicle can be seen driving away with a smashed rear window.
Another video posted online Tuesday and shared on social media showed a protester kicking an officer in the police groin after the officer threw him to the ground.
“That same protester was trying to pull Tianna away from the officers, which is against the law,” Smith said. “That guy engaged in an assault of two officers. Before that he got in a fist fight with one officer.”
Did demonstrators show ‘mob mentality’?
On Tuesday, Twitter user Jose Navarro said that “there was no destruction of property or threats to any person’s life” at the protest.
“So, in effect, (it was) a peaceful protest,” Navarro said. “Why the arrests — other than to discourage the exercise of one’s First Amendment right to protest police brutality.”
But Smith said “this was a mob mentality yesterday.”
“We tried to keep protesters safe and respect the right of the protest and freedom of speech,” he said. “People come to visit our city or travel across town. They’re putting people in unnecessary danger.”
Protesters said Tuesday’s march was motivated largely by a recent video that surfaced of San Luis Obispo County Sheriff Ian Parkinson speaking on the issue of racism to the North San Luis Obispo County Tea Party earlier this month.
The protest was also inspired by activism in Portland, Oregon, where federal officers have been rounding up demonstrators against the wishes of local authorities.
This story was originally published July 22, 2020 at 8:08 PM.
%20Cropped.jpg)