A Canadian man has been charged after allegedly driving his SUV alone while wearing a mask through a “Freedom Convoy” protest group Friday in Winnipeg.
The 42-year-old man from Headingly, Manitoba, allegedly struck four men with his Jeep Patriot as they gathered to protest COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates in downtown Winnipeg near the Legislative grounds, the Winnipeg police said in a statement. One victim was taken to the hospital and later released, and the other three did not require medical attention for their minor injuries, according to the statement.
In images posted to Twitter, the man in the SUV can be seen wearing what appears to be a blue face mask despite being alone in his car during the incident. (RELATED: ‘Protesting To Mandate Freedom’: Truck Drivers Continue To Rally Against COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates)
Masked Madman PLOWS His SUV through FREEDOM CONVOY Crowd in Ottawa ‼️#FreedomConvoy2022 #freedomconvoy #Ottawa pic.twitter.com/VKXRQ0mvlc
— Cinema Shogun (@CinemaShogun) February 5, 2022
Three people have been injured after a white SUV appears to have intentionally rammed protesters at a Freedom Convoy demonstration in Winnipeg, Canada. pic.twitter.com/kNbxU32aPN
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) February 5, 2022
The police said the suspect, who fled the scene, was apprehended a short while later after reportedly briefly resisting arrest, according to the Daily Mail. He has been charged with four counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing bodily harm, two counts of failure to stop at the scene of an accident, two counts of failure to stop after accident and one count of dangerous operation of a conveyance, according to the press release from Winnipeg police.
GoFundMe announced Friday that it had taken down a “Freedom Convoy 2022” fundraiser started by organizers of the Canadian protests, citing “police reports of violence and unlawful activity” as justification. Republican Texas Sen. Ted Cruz called Sunday for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate GoFundMe, which elected to automatically refund the contributions.