Car Plows Into Native American Protesters In Reno
RENO (CBS SF) – The driver of a truck who plowed into a group of Native American protesters had been yelling obscenities at the crowd earlier in the day, according to a witness.
Police Chief Jason Soto said detectives were using witness accounts and cellphone video to look at all aspects of the incident.
But he wouldn't say whether the case was being investigated as a hate crime.
The driver wasn't immediately arrested after the Monday evening incident beneath the city's famous "Biggest Little City in the World" arch.
Soto said a 59-year-old woman who was struck by the pickup was hospitalized with injuries that aren't believed to be life-threatening. Authorities say four other people suffered minor injuries.
Police said the driver stopped several blocks away, and both he and a passenger in the pickup are cooperating.
One witness has described the incident as a hate crime, with the driver and passenger yelling obscenities at the crowd earlier in the day.
Mike Graham, founder of the Oklahoma-based United Native American Association, said he planned to meet with Reno police Tuesday to find out more about the incident.
Reno Police Sgt. James Pitsnogel said the driver and a passenger were interviewed and are cooperating.
