SHOCKING footage captured the moment a Canadian man drives through a crowd of Freedom Convoy protesters, injuring four before fleeing the scene.
An unidentified man was arrested after allegedly plowing through the crowd at the Manitoba Legislature grounds on Friday night, according to Winnipeg authorities.
“A 42yr old male is facing charges after driving through a group of protesters that were part of the Freedom Convoy at the Legislative grounds,” the Winnipeg Police tweeted on Saturday. “4 adult males were struck.”
The suspect, driving a Jeep Patriot, was chased down by police and arrested after he tried to flee.
“(The vehicle) was moving at a pretty decent clip and it’s pretty miraculous that nobody sustained any serious injuries,” said police spokesperson Rob Carver on Saturday as reported by the Winnipeg Sun.
Three of the injured protesters did not need medical attention, and a fourth was released after being treated at the hospital.
Police added that the Headingly, Manitoba, resident faces several charges including four for assault with a weapon.
It’s unclear what the driver’s motive was, but Carver said “He wasn’t really for or against either of the general views.”
“Some comments he made after his arrest suggested that his motivation was not specifically about the underlying causes of the protests or the mandates,” said Carver.
Dashboard camera video of the incident shows the white Jeep striking the protesters, who were showing support for similar anti-Covid-mandates protests in Ottawa and elsewhere in Canada.
Truckers and others allied with the Freedom Convoy have been protesting the Canadian government’s Covid-19 vaccine mandates since the convoy began on January 23.
The convoy arrived in Ottawa on January 29, and protesters have said they won’t leave until all mandates and COVID-19 restrictions are gone.
They are also calling for the removal of Trudeau’s government, though it is responsible for few of the measures, most of which were put in place by provincial governments.
Ottawa police chief Peter Sloly said police are doing everything they can to contain the tense situation.
“Police are doing everything within the power under the Police Services Act – and as resourced under that legislation,” said Sloly. “We have learned from our mistakes and are committed to doing better. All available officers are deployed; 60 more officers will be deployed shortly.”
Many Canadians have been outraged over the protests.
Some protesters set fireworks on the grounds of the National War Memorial late Friday. A number carried signs and flags with swastikas last weekend and compared vaccine mandates to fascism.
