Friends ID woman hit by SUV at ‘No Kings' protest: ‘She was so proud to be out there'
The Riverside Police Department is seeking help from the public two days after the driver of a black SUV rammed through a group of demonstrators in downtown Riverside, running over a young woman who remains in critical but stable condition.
The department is asking for help in identifying and locating the suspect in the incident that occurred around 9:10 p.m. on University Avenue between Main and Orange streets, according to Officer Ryan J. Railsback, a spokesman for the department.
Railsback said a 'speeding SUV drove around the march and struck a female pedestrian before fleeing the scene.'
Although police have not released the name of the victim, a woman who identified herself as a friend created a GoFundMe page and identified her as 21-year-old Alexa Carrasco.
'She was rushed to the hospital' and was in intensive care with 'life-threatening injuries,' wrote the friend, Leslie Hernandez.
She told The Times on Monday that Carrasco remained in critical but stable condition in the ICU.
Carrasco's friends also told KCAL that she suffered severe skull injuries as well as a cracked rib, punctured lung and broken leg.
'Alexa is loving, outgoing, and full of life,' Hernandez wrote. 'She's the kind of person who always shows up for others, and she was so proud to be out there using her voice. She did not deserve what happened to her.'
Railsback said paramedics 'treated the victim at the scene. Then she was transported to a local hospital with significant injuries in stable condition.'
At the time of the collision, there were two protests in the area — one was part of the 'No Kings' rallies taking place across the country. Another was a demonstration against raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
'The groups merged early on,' Railsback said. 'And we have no reason to believe the driver was part of this protest.'
Investigators are not only seeking the driver but also trying to determine if the incident was intentional or politically linked.
'We don't know if it was accidental or not,' Railsback said, 'but we are investigating it as an assault with a deadly weapon at this time.'
Video taken by demonstrators and posted on social media shows the black SUV stopped on University Avenue when a group of protesters begin to gather around the vehicle. One demonstrator can be seen bumping into the car's left taillight while another uses an object to smash the light.
The car then drives forward, around demonstrators and speeding past Orange Street before dragging the young woman and running over her body.
'We are aware of the various social media videos that are being circulated and are using those to help us identify the driver,' Railsback said.
The public is asked to contact detectives at (951) 353-7103. Anonymous tips can be made through Crime Stoppers.
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UPI
an hour ago
- UPI
'No Kings' protests draw millions nationwide, organizers say
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Police in Culpeper, Va., arrested Joseph Checklick Jr., 21, on reckless driving charges in an incident that caused no injuries. 1,500 protests scheduled nationwide At least 1,500 "No Kings" protests nationwide were scheduled Saturday, the same day as President Donald Trump's large-scale military parade in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the U.S. Army and his 79th birthday. The protests across all 50 states and commonwealths were "largest single-day mobilization since President Trump returned to office -- a mass, nationwide protest rejecting authoritarianism, billionaire-first politics, and the militarization of our democracy," according to the organizers' website. The 50501 Movement -- 50 protests, 50 states, one movement -- is one of the main organizers of the demonstrations that are designed to be peaceful. "The 'No Kings' mobilization is a direct response to Donald Trump's self-aggrandizing $100 million military parade and birthday celebration, an event funded by taxpayers while millions are told there's no money for Social Security, SNAP, Medicaid, or public schools," according to the website. The parade is officially celebrating the 250th anniversary of the United States Army and has been planned for well over a year, although it has been expanded to meet Trump's requests since he retook office. The protests were organized by a coalition of more than 200 organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union, American Federation of Teachers and the Communications Workers of America. Protests nationwide began after Trump's inauguration for his second presidency on Jan. 20 over several of the Trump administration's moves, including its crackdown on immigrants and cuts to the federal workforce and services. Where protests happened A map shows where the events took place. 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State Sen. John Hoffman of Champlin and his wife Yvette were shot multiple times. Despite triple-digit temperatures, a crowd demonstrated at the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix. More than 75 protests were scheduled in Florida, including near Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach where demonstrators marched to the Mar-a-Lago gates. They were met by Trump supporters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said the state is ready to "quell any violence" at events in his state. During an interview on Fox News, he said local police, county sheriffs, highway patrol and the National Guard will be ready to stop any violence or "unrest" against federal anti-illegal immigration efforts. The protests, large and small, are taking place everywhere except the nation's capital "to draw a clear contrast between our people-powered movement and the costly, wasteful, and un-American birthday parade in Washington." "We're showing up everywhere he isn't -- to say no thrones, no crowns, no kings," the website reads. Trump on Thursday told reporters that, despite the protests' title, "I don't feel like a king. I have to go through hell to get stuff approved." Demonstrators gathered outside a Metro station in Arlington, Va. D.C. residents were encouraged to go to a demonstration in Philadelphia, which is America's first capital and the birthplace of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The protest includes plans to march from Love Park to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson told WCAU-TV an estimated 80,000 people attended the protect along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Situation in Los Angeles Protests against immigration arrests have been going on for a week in downtown Los Angeles. Some protesters in downtown Los Angeles threw objects at police officers as they attempted to clear the crowd using chemical irritants ahead of a nightly curfew, city police said. 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Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
'Peacekeepers' under scrutiny in deadly Salt Lake City protest shooting
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