From [HERE] The New York Police Department is investigating why a man drove his SUV through a Black Lives Matter protest in Midtown Manhattan. 

The man drove a black Dodge Durango through a demonstration on Tuesday night after protesters tried to stop the car at 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue while they marched, according to NYPD officials. Police briefly detained the man a few blocks away but then released him, the officials said. They declined to provide the driver’s identity. No one was injured or arrested, according to the officials. 

Video of the incident was shared on social media. 

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williamssaid on Twitter Wednesday that his office was also investigating the matter. “This video is extremely troubling. Someone could have been killed, but thankfully no serious injuries have been reported,” Mr. Williams, a Democrat, wrote.

The march had begun at Washington Square Park and made its way throughout the city, stopping traffic and, at one point, preventing drivers from entering the Lincoln Tunnel.

The protesters were making their way across 42nd Street when the driver appeared to speed up, targeting cyclists and marchers.

One cyclist, Jeffrey, told NY1’s Ruschell Boone about the terrifying moments when the car pushed its way through the crowd.

“I am on my bicycle. I swear to God, he was coming for me,” said a protester who was nearly struck down by an SUV that plowed through a crowd of #BlackLivesMatterprotesters in #Midtown on Tuesday night. https://t.co/vfNOloQdwppic.twitter.com/QysIEGozMo

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020

“He didn’t stop,” Jeffrey said, “he literally put pedal to the metal and literally drove through the crowd. It was devastating.”

“I rode beside the car and punched the car,” he said. “Luckily I didn’t injure my hand, but I punched the glass. You can imagine the speed he’s going, the intensity. I just wanted to protect the crowd.”

One of the protest organizers talked about what she witnessed.

BREAKING: Our @RuschellBoone was on the scene in Manhattan when an SUV sped through a crowd of #BlackLivesMatter protesters, dragging a bicycle on the ground for at least a block. Protesters are telling NY1 no one was seriously injured. pic.twitter.com/X3mM82Nfqv

— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) July 8, 2020

“I see him drive by and I see four or five bikes being pushed to the point where it’s sparking on the ground,” she said. “I knew there was a family with a toddler. My first thought was, holy crap, I hope they didn’t just run this kid over.” [MORE]