Woman says protesters jumped on her minivan; they say she drove into them
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A minivan made contact with protesters Monday night on Monument Circle, and a camera caught it all on video.
Protesters came back to Monument Circle on Tuesday evening because they say the driver’s story about what happened is not true.
Protesters said they are upset that, despite leaving the scene of an accident where two people were hit, the driver was not arrested.
The incident happened around 8:30 p.m. Monday on the south side of Monument Circle. A group of about 50 protesters said they were in a peaceful gathering and preparing to disperse.
Diane Goebel, the driver of the minivan, said, “I very slowly just inched my way through the demonstrators.”
Goebel says she and her friend were going on a drive and went to Monument Circle out of curiosity to see if there were any protests. She says she encountered the protesters when she was trying to get around stopped traffic.
The driver said, “I did not hit anyone or plow into anyone. They jumped on the hood of my van.”
“Then they started kicking my van, broke two windows out on the passenger side, and threw water bottles and whatever at my van as I drove off,” Goebel said.
Goebel drove off and called 911. Police say she has been cooperating with the investigation.
Danielle Hines, a protester who witnessed the crash, said of the driver, “She definitely was increasing in speed. She started off, and I think people in response jumped on it after she started speeding up.”
“I just saw her drive off very fast. There was another car that was able to avoid people where I did not see her trying to avoid anybody,” Hines said.
“It seemed like they pulled forward and that is when everybody jumped so. For me it seemed like a response to try and not get hit and pulled under the vehicle,” said Hines.
The video came from a protester.
News 8 reached out to both people who made contact with the car. One declined an interview, not wanting “to take the spotlight away from black voices.”
The case has been turned over to the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, which will review the case and decide whether or not to file criminal charges.
