Police say no proof woman purposely drove into protest

A woman was assaulted in Santa Rosa on Saturday night and her vehicle was vandalized after an encounter with several protesters who claimed she purposefully drove into a crowd as they marched along Sonoma Avenue, authorities said.

But Santa Rosa police said video evidence does not show that the woman purposely drove into the crowd. Instead, the driver — a nurse who had just finished her shift at a local hospital — had attempted to leave the area, authorities said.

The assault comes amid the fourth straight week of protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.

Santa Rosa police received calls Saturday night from several people who marched in the Santa Rosa 24hour Protest for Peace and Justice, saying a white SUV had been driven recklessly through a crowd of protesters near the police department on Sonoma Avenue, possibly hitting some of them.

At around the same time, police responded to reports of a nearby assault and vandalism at about 9:20 p.m. The woman, who was not identified, told officers her car had been vandalized by a group of protesters, one of whom punched her in the face, authorities said Sunday.

Officers met with the driver near the police department. She said it was dark as she drove down the road and that she was unaware of the planned protest, police said.

When she came upon a large group of people and flashing lights, the woman tried to pull over to the right of the roadway in an effort to get through the crowd. But protesters blocked her path and threw a skateboard and bicycle at her vehicle, police said.

The woman eventually pulled over down the road and said a man who had followed her on his bicycle approached her car and punched her. Police said the man — described as a white bald male in his 20s with tattoos on his face and arms — has not been found.

Santa Rosa police said they met with several protesters who said the woman intentionally drove through the crowd, but there were conflicting reports on how fast she was driving. Several protesters provided video of the encounter, which showed the woman approaching the crowd as protesters yelled profanities, police said. The video also showed people surrounding the SUV and throwing objects at the car, according to police.

“Because the vehicles’ path was blocked by protesters, the driver tried to maneuver her way out of the crowd until her path was clear,” police said in a release Sunday. “There is no indication from the videos that the driver was trying to run over protesters on purpose. The videos do show the driver trying to accelerate somewhat away from the crowd.”

The man who allegedly assaulted the driver has not been arrested. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department’s nonemergency phone number, 7075285222.