Tennessee Highway Patrol released dashboard camera footage eviscerating claims that an anti-ICE activist was struck by a police car during a protest in Memphis.
Volatile protests erupted across the country over the weekend over the fatal shooting of a Minnesota activist, Renee Nicole Good, by a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer.
In Memphis, tensions appeared to escalate when hundreds of anti-ICE protesters gathered on Sunday, WMC reported.
A video circulating online appeared to show a person getting hit by a Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) vehicle, sparking outrage.
However, THP released dashboard camera footage of the incident, disproving that narrative.
The video showed a man in an orange reflective vest walking in front of the car as the vehicle came to a complete stop. He then grabbed its bull bars and gently lowered himself onto the road.
‘In this case, video clearly shows the individual holding onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, lying down, then standing right back up afterwards and leaving the scene under his own power,’ THP said.
‘At no point does the video show the individual being run over or injured, despite the narratives circulating on social media.’
Police dashboard camera footage destroyed claims by anti-ICE protesters that an activist was hit by a patrol car in Tennessee over the weekend
The video showed a man in an orange reflective vest walking in front of the car as the vehicle came to a complete stop
THP said the footage shows the claim that someone was hit is ‘false’ and warned that walking in front of a patrol car is a public safety risk.
‘We respect and protect the right of people to protest peacefully. That right, however, does not include entering active roadways or placing themselves in danger,’ THP said.
‘Our priority is always public safety for motorists, protesters and certainly our troopers.
‘When someone enters the roadway, it creates a serious and immediate risk, and troopers are trained to respond to prevent injuries or worse outcomes.’
One person appears to have been arrested during Sunday’s protest in Memphis, according to WMC.
Rebecca Ann Leathers was charged with disorderly conduct and resisting detention after she stood in front of a THP vehicle.
She allegedly stood in front of the vehicle as troopers drove to navigate through the crowd and attacked the windows.
THP officers said Leathers would not cooperate during her arrest and became violent.
He grabbed onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, laid down, then stood back up
Tennessee Highway Patrol said the man was not hit by the vehicle and walked away from the scene by his own volition
Protests spread across the country over the weekend as the killing of Good has become a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
In Austin, Texas, at least five people were taken into custody on Saturday night as police charged into a screaming crowd of anti-ICE demonstrators who had blocked traffic near the J.J. Pickle Federal Building.
In Los Angeles, hundreds of demonstrators flooded downtown streets on Saturday night, prompting police to issue dispersal orders and form skirmish lines outside federal facilities.