Car plows through Occupy demonstrators at UC Santa Cruz campus

[Newsjock]

Source: Santa Cruz Sentinel

About a hundred students blocked entrance to the UC Santa Cruz campus Thursday morning, not allowing vehicles to enter as part of and Occupy Education rally.

Just after 8:30 a.m. a man driving an orange Ford Mustang drove up High Street and tried to make a right turn onto campus. He revved his engine, but the crowd stopped him from entering. The driver then revved his engine again and sped through the crowd of demonstrators at the High Street entrance, striking several people and a bike.

No one appeared to have been seriously injured. UCSC Police Chief Nader Oweis, who was the only officer on scene when the incident happened, ordered the driver to back up the car, out of the crowded intersection.

The crowd chanted "arrest him, arrest him." The driver and his female passenger were detained and removed from the area, which is now swarming with police.


Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/central-coast/ci_20079890

[slackmaster]

1. At least he wasn't driving an SUV

That would have really pissed people off.

[grahamhgreen]

5. Not funny.

[HALO141]

9. Oh, c'mon...

It was a little funny. :p

[DocMac]

15. Why? Do you drive an orange Mustang?

[me b zola]

22. Conservative duechbags i'm sure will find that funny

Me? Not so much

[Fumesucker]

2. Did they ever find the driver of the last car that drove into Occupy protesters? n/t

[pennylane100]

12. The occupiers in the Oakland case were not even blocking the road.

I do not think the occupiers help their cause when they block entrances although there must be more than one entrance. However, the mindset of a person who would try to drive through the crowd and possibly kill someone is very scarey. I hope they throw the book at him.

[randome]

13. On the other hand, the phrase 'sped through' sounds wrong.

If he really tried to speed through them, you would expect some injuries to occur.

I'm not advocating using a car to clear your way through a crowd but that sounds more like what he was trying to do than to 'speed through' people.

[pennylane100]

18. I am sure there will be a video out there somewhere.

I think we are so lucky to live in an age where the truth can be documented so easily.

[randome]

24. Technology has changed the ground game, hasn't it?

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Newsjock.

[barbtries]

4. that bastard in Oakland

was never even identified let alone arrested to my knowledge. every so often it just pops into my mind and pisses me off. i wonder if we'll get to know who this homicidal maniac is?

[snooper2]

6. A burnout for 60 seconds would have been more effective

But he let his anger get to him...

[HopeHoops]

7. He probably didn't know how to do one.

[xchrom]

8. Du rec. Nt

[Snake Alchemist]

10. An orange mustang? nt

[Hyper_Eye]

11. It looks red to me

Maybe the picture attached to the news article is deceiving.

[KILL THE WISE ONE]

14. Driver claims to be possessed by Andrew Breitbart’s Ghost !

[DocMac]

16. The driver may win with that defense.

Maybe they will end up with a judge like that crazy judge from Helena.

[Suji to Seoul]

19. The Harvey Milk assassin blamed junk food for his crimes and a jury bought it

This is California. Look how many OBVIOUSLY guilty people got off.

There was video tape of the LAPD beating Rodney King and of the four hoodlums beating Reginald Denny and they got off.

[DocMac]

21. I always expect too much.

My weakness!

[Posteritatis]

17. And they want to charge the people they struck, too. Oy. (nt)

[Devil_Fish]

23. It is only assalt with a deadly wepon if you run over a cop.

Homeless/jobless protestors? might as well call them speed bumps.

[ellisonz]

25. Was there ever any follow-up on the Oakland case? n/t

[AtheistCrusader]

27. I've looked. I see squat.

I can't imagine he got away without a picture of his plate...

[ellisonz]

28. Surpise, surpise.

The police know the identity of the Oakland driver: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/11/11/BA2A1LTP12.DTL

[MrModerate]

26. Sounds like attempted murder to me. n/t

[Incitatus]

29. Why where they blocking the road?

I support what OWS stands for and think the driver should be charged, but I don't see actions like this helping the cause

[randome]

30. They said it was an 'Occupy Educaton Rally'?

So I guess it wasn't even a protest and maybe they weren't purposely blocking the road? Maybe too many people showed up and wouldn't or couldn't clear out?