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VIDEO: Detroit police appear to plow through crowd of protesters surrounding patrol car
Image Source: Twitter screenshot

VIDEO: Detroit police appear to plow through crowd of protesters surrounding patrol car

Protesters appeared to be pounding on the car and may have bashed the rear window

A video posted online late Sunday night appears to show a Detroit Police Department patrol car ramming its way through an angry crowd of protesters.

The video was posted on social media accounts run by a man named Ethan Ketner, who claims he was a part of the crowd that was protesting against racial injustice.

"Detroit Police Department just ran straight through a bunch of our protesters," Ketner wrote in a Facebook post. "Myself and 10-12 others were struck by this reckless driver who somehow has a badge. Someone was trapped on the hood and eventually tossed as the officer swerved to throw him off.

"These officers drove into our protest after we walked past their vehicles. They did not need to drive past us for emergency purposes because they had other officers on the other side ready. This was a clear act of aggression," he added.

Ketner also claimed that several of the protesters involved sought medical attention at hospitals after the incident.

What do we know so far?

According to the Detroit Free Press, the incident occurred at roughly 9:30 p.m. EDT and followed several hours of protests that began in Patton Park and moved elsewhere. As protesters were trying to return to the park, police allegedly set up a roadblock — and that's when things turned violent.

The video shows the police car accelerating through the crowd as protesters began pounding on the vehicle and some hoisted themselves up on the hood. The car started and stopped aggressively in apparent attempt to fling the individuals off the vehicle and clear the path.

Some protesters remained either in front of or on top of the hood of the vehicle as it continued to drive several yards away from the crowd.

According to WJBK-TV, police spokesperson Sgt. Nicole Kirkwood said that police were attempting to redirect traffic when the crowd of protesters became agitated and surrounded the vehicle.

She added that protesters had smashed the rear window open in addition to jumping on the hood of the car.

The window does look broken

Image Source: Twitter screenshot

The department has reportedly launched an investigation, and Detroit Police Chief James Craig is expected to address the incident Monday afternoon.

The tense video resembles a similar incident that occurred in New York City late last month in which a police car pushed into a crowd of protesters.

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