George Floyd death: Pickup truck drives through crowd protesting in Florida

A pick-up truck drove through a protest in Tallahassee, Florida. Photo / Supplied

A pickup truck drove through an intersection where protesters were demonstrating Saturday in Tallahassee, Florida, causing people to run screaming out of the way as the vehicle stopped and started.

At one point, the truck had a person on its hood, according to witnesses and video posted on social media.

Tallahassee Mayor John E Dailey tweeted later the driver was taken into custody after hitting the crowd at a low speed. He says no one was seriously injured.

Video shows the truck stopped at a traffic light, and protesters walking around and near it while appearing to speak to the driver. The truck then suddenly accelerates.

So scary— truck drives right through a #BlackLivesMatter protest in Tallahassee. Police have the driver in custody, injuries are being confirmed by reporters on the ground. pic.twitter.com/nKMf4fAJ7e

— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) May 30, 2020

Lucas von Hollen, an instructor at Florida State University, said he saw the incident as protesters were chanting and marching as in a standard demonstration, but then he heard a distinct scream of fear.

He looked out a window from a second-floor work building and saw the burgundy pickup. He described it slowing down as it had driven up toward the protesters, who didn't move.

"Then the truck revved its engines … a couple people got out of the way, but some people didn't, and it just drove straight through the crowd."

He said people followed the car to prevent the driver from getting away.

Thousands of people across the US have taken to the streets, demanding justice for George Floyd, a black man who died after a white officer pressed a knee into his neck.

Two Federal Protective Service officers suffered gunshot wounds amid protests Friday night in Oakland, California, police said.

One of the officers died from his injury.

- With AP