That Jeep driver that hit 2 women at a George Floyd protest in Visalia? Arrest him already

A large group of protesters are on the street shouting a profane chant about President Trump. A blue Jeep is slowly moving in traffic. Suddenly the vehicle surges forward, pushing two female demonstrators aside. Screams, shouts, and a blaring vehicle horn fill the air as the Jeep speeds away.

That happened Saturday afternoon in Visalia. The ugly scene marred what had been a peaceful but loud protest over the death of George Floyd in Minnesota.

On Monday about 50 people went to the Tulare County Courthouse to demand that charges be brought against the two men and one woman in the Jeep. But as of Tuesday afternoon, no arrests had been made in the case. The district attorney said he had received an initial report from Visalia police but wanted additional investigation. District Attorney Tim Ward also said in a Facebook post that he could not yet discuss the facts of the case or make any decisions.

And a Visalia Police Department spokeswoman said she did not yet have the approval to release the names of those in the Jeep, though Fresno State indicated at least one of them might be a university student.

So the public is left with a video of a noisy, dangerous altercation that could have easily ended in a death, and silence from the criminal justice system.

Which leads to the obvious question: How hard is it to arrest a driver who just tried to run over two demonstrators?

Opposing views

The video does show that the people in the Jeep were of a much different political persuasion than those demonstrating on Mooney Boulevard, where the protest occurred.

The Jeep has an American flag and a Trump “Keep America Great” flag mounted and in view of passersby.

The Jeep drove along Mooney multiple times and its driver and passengers mocked and cursed demonstrators, witnesses said.

For their part, some of the crowd hurled water bottles at the Jeep. That fact was noted by a statement issued by Visalia Mayor Bob Link and City Manager Randy Groom. “It is unfortunate but factually accurate that all parties involved in the confrontation behaved in a manner that was irresponsible and fueled the confrontation.”

One of the demonstrators who was struck by the Jeep, 17-year-old Karina Ramirez, put it in better perspective: “Getting hit by a car and getting a water bottle thrown at you is not the same. Somebody standing in front of your car isn’t the same as a car hitting you.

“It’s not right.”

Both she and the other woman sustained minor injuries, authorities said.

Make the arrest

The investigators and district attorney likely have facts that the public has not seen. And criminal investigations can take time.

But the video clearly shows what happened — in much the same way as the bystander video of George Floyd being slowly killed by Minneapolis police.

A 2015 Jeep Wrangler weighs between 3,700 and 4,300 pounds. Standing in its way were two women on Mooney Boulevard — one of them was a teenager who just graduated from Exeter High. A basic rule of driving taught to first-time motorists is that pedestrians always have the right of way, even when they are in the wrong place.

Depending on perspective, one can watch the video and see intent on the part of the driver to push the females out of the way, injuries or death be damned.

Another demonstrator named Briyanna told The Bee her own theory of how this incident might play out: “If you or I were to hit someone while driving and drove away (police) would go to our house, and they would arrest us. This is not normal procedure. Frankly, a lot of people in the police, and Tulare County, they probably agree that we shouldn’t be out there protesting.”

That would be a shame if true. Public protest and demonstration is a time-honored American tradition. Everyone should want to uphold that right.

The California Penal Code defines assault as “an unlawful attempt, coupled with a present ability, to commit a violent injury on the person of another.”

Typically, when police officers are driven into by suspects, the alleged criminal gets arrested for assault with a deadly weapon — the vehicle.

If DA Ward does not at the least bring a basic assault charge against the Jeep driver, he will have some explaining to do. Police should make the arrest, and the prosecutors should bring the charge.

This story was originally published June 3, 2020 at 9:46 AM.