UPDATE AT THE END
Two protesters in Seattle were standing in the road on the I-5 in dark clothing in the middle of the night when a car hit them. The driver had slowed and swerved at the last minute in what appeared to be an effort to avoid hitting them after he realized they were there.
Moment before impact at the BLM protest in Seattle. The protest had gone on for almost 2 hours, moving from street to street before reaching the highway, where they parked vans on the road and prepared to block vehicles. With the van obscuring the road, few saw the car coming. pic.twitter.com/iVITRLPgND
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2020
The driver did not accelerate or hit the protesters on purpose. You can see the driver apply the brakes right before they clear the van, once the protesters come into view. pic.twitter.com/NSNPtulYJ0
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2020
Two Seattle protesters just got run over. Don’t stand in the middle of the road at night, damn. pic.twitter.com/TqBcUtfszl
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2020
LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES
The driver took off for his own safety. He was taken into custody. The two who were injured were transported to Harborview Medical Center. One suffers from life-threatening injuries, and the other has serious injuries. Troopers are investigating the scene.
Earlier: The Seattle I-5 driver in the white Jaguar stopped about a half mile from the scene where he hit the protesters. Protesters caught up with the car and started attacking the vehicle so he drove off and waited for police further down the road. pic.twitter.com/gFsrvBrl6Z
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) July 4, 2020
UPDATE
One of the young women, Summer Taylor, has died. We have an updated article on this link.
The vehicle drove around cars blocking the road. The investigation continues. One question, why do the officials allow roads to close so ‘protesters’ can dance in the street?
I am on scene of the incident on I-5 and Olive way. A vehicle drove through the closure and struck multiple pedestrians on the freeway. Two people were transported to Harborview. One with life threatening injuries and one with serious injuries.
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 4, 2020
Here are two pictures of the suspect vehicle that struck two protesters on I-5 this morning. Investigation into motive and point of entry in to I-5 are still under investigation. pic.twitter.com/gU1QH6TFTu
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) July 4, 2020
It seems they’ve asked the same question of themselves.
The @wastatepatrol will not be allowing protesters to enter I-5. For the safety of all citizens including protesters and motorists, pedestrians walking on the freeway will be arrested. @wspd2pio
— WA State Patrol (@wastatepatrol) July 5, 2020
THE DRIVER IDENTIFIED
The driver, who appears to have entered the highway from an exit ramp was identified as Dawit Kelete, age 27 years.
An Instagram page credited to a person named Dawit Kelete showed multiple photos of a Black man having fun in various settings that resembled college life at Washington State University. The man in those Instagram photos appeared to be the same person in the photos circulating on social media.
A LinkedIn page credited to a person named Dawit Kelete identified him as a sales manager as well as an operations manager for DoorDash in Seattle. His education was listed as Washington State University.
No alcohol was involved.
Just in: @KIRO7Seattle obtained court papers for Dawit Kelete, the man accused of running into 2 protestors on I-5 last night. According to officers, Kelete appeared “reserved and sullen” throughout the arrest and asked if the injured protesters were okay.
— Ryan Simms (@RyanKIRO7) July 5, 2020
Summer Taylor, a non binary Black Lives Matter activist who was hit by a car while protesting on the I-5 freeway in Seattle, has died. Dawit Kelete, who is black, is accused of being the driver & was arrested. pic.twitter.com/Lr6Jp3BkzO
— Andy Ngô (@MrAndyNgo) July 5, 2020
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