Delivery truck collides with protesters chanting “Dump Trump” in the middle of the freeway.
A 32-year old man driving a Waldrum Brother’s delivery truck is responsible for the death of 6 Anti-Trump protesters that were blocking traffic while chanting “Dump Trump” in the middle of a Seattle freeway.
The accident occurred near an I-15 off-ramp today around 5:15 PM. According to witnesses, a crowd of approximately 16 individuals pulled their vehicles to the side of the freeway and created a barricade by linking their arms together.
The protester’s actions immediately hindered the flow of traffic and motorists became upset at what many of them viewed as an unwanted obstacle preventing them from getting home after a long day at work. A few of the protesters were seen holding signs that read – “Not My President” or “Love Trumps Hate” and all protesters were chanting – “Dump Trump”.
After dealing with angry motorist for about 5-minutes, the group of protesters moved aside to allow the backed-up vehicles to resume their commute. Once a steady-flow of traffic resumed, the group of protesters once again linked arms to create a barricade for a second time.
It was at this time when Richard L. Porter, a 32-year-old Seattle resident employed by Waldrum Brother’s (a local appliance store) as a delivery driver quickly approached the chain of Anti-Trump protesters. According to Porter, he was driving with the current flow of traffic (around 80-MPH) when the obstruction created by the protesters seemed to appear out of nowhere.
By the time the protesters were visible to Porter – he didn’t have enough time to fully stop and though he did slam on his breaks and attempted to swerve, he ultimately ran into the group of protesters with the side of his delivery truck.
Porter was estimated to have been traveling at a speed of approximately 45-MPH when he collided with the group of Anti-Trump protesters. Several of the protesters were able to get out of the delivery truck’s path, however, 6 protesters were not able to move quickly enough and were ultimately struck and run over by the vehicle.
According to police reports, four of the fatally wounded protesters were killed upon impact and the other two protesters passed-away at a nearby hospital within hours.
Porter claims that the incident was a devastating accident and that he did everything possible to avoid hitting the protesters, however, many of the surviving protesters see things differently. The remaining group of protesters have told reporters that they believe Porter intentionally ran over them with his vehicle because he disagreed with their political beliefs.
Porter has adamantly denied the allegation that he intentionally collided with the protesters because of a difference in political views and told an NBC affiliate reporter that he’s a democrat who voted for Hillary Clinton.
According to statements from the police -they’re currently investigating the incident as a potential homicide and at the advice of his attorney, Porter has declined to make any further comments to the media.
抗议方也有自己的说辞