Woman Was Charged With Reckless Endangerment After Driving Into A Crowd Of Protesters In NYC

A 52-year-old Queens woman has been charged with reckless endangerment after she drove her car into a crowd of protesters on an NYC street over the weekend. Her exact motives were unknown.

According to Buzzfeed, Kathleen Casillo injured six people when she drove her 2019 BMW through a crowd of protesters at East 39th Street and Third Avenue.

Casillo, who was in the vehicle with another woman, claimed she “panicked” and drove her car forward in an attempt to get away from demonstrators who had surrounded her car.

The incident occurred on Friday at about 4:08 p.m. Authorities initially claimed demonstrators had gathered in the area to call for justice for George Floyd, and Black Lives Matter. However, local NYC news outlets reported that the protesters were marching in solidarity with ICE detainees who are on a hunger strike at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey.

#BREAKING At least six people struck by car in #Manhattan during #BlackLivesMatter protest. Unclear on injuries. #NYC #BLM 🎥: CitizenApp pic.twitter.com/FdlINd979h

— Eric Wasserman 🦆 "WASS" (@EricWasserman1) December 11, 2020