A 66-year-old woman was injured after a car sped through a crowd protesting against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) department in Chicago on Tuesday evening.
In the video, which has now gone viral on social media platforms, a red car can be seen speeding and nearly hitting people on the sidewalk. A woman was seen falling on the ground.
The Chicago Police Department confirmed that the car attempted to drive through the crowd in the 0-100 block of East Monroe Street.
As most people managed to move away, it hit a woman, identified in local reports as Heather Blair, while she was standing in the roadway.
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As per reports, Blair is a retired federal worker whose left arm was fractured due to the impact. She was rushed to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where she was treated and discharged.
“I saw it. I don’t know if I heard it, but I looked and there was a car. A red car accelerating at us,” Blair said.
Watch the video here:
Anti-ICE protests
Huge protests broke out last week in major US cities in response to a series of immigration raids as President Donald Trump fulfils a campaign promise of deporting immigrants, employing forceful tactics.
“President Trump promised to carry out the largest mass deportation campaign in American history and left-wing riots will not deter him in that effort,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Johnson’s Chief of Staff, Cristina Pacione-Zayas, said on Wednesday that Chicago could soon see a military response on the ground.
“Federal agents have been informed that they have 48 hours to standby and be ready to deploy. There will be tactical teams, there will be mini-tanks, there will be other tools that they use,” Pacione-Zayas said.
Marines to deploy on LA streets
The officials said on Wednesday that US Marines will join National Guard troops on the streets of Los Angeles within two days. They would have the right to detain anyone who interferes with immigration officers on raids.
In LA, the protests have largely been peaceful but occasionally punctuated by violence. The 8:00pm curfew also came into effect in downtown LA as police charged at protesters on horseback. Local reports mentioned that they also fired munitions in an attempt to clear them.