A driver hit a student during a student-led protest in Fremont on Thursday afternoon, a spokesperson with the Fremont Public Schools district said.
Video captured by News Channel Nebraska shows the driver getting into a red SUV that’s carrying a flag supporting President Trump’s 2024 campaign. Protesters are standing on the sidewalk when one student steps in front of the parked vehicle. The driver appears to go forward, slows and then speeds up, hitting the person, who appeared to land on the hood of the SUV and then roll off to the side. The driver initially slowed down after hitting the student and then left the scene.
A spokesperson with the school district said the student was taken to the hospital. This happened around 2 p.m. during a “non-school sponsored, student-led” demonstration. School administrators were near the protest to “ensure students were safe and peaceful.”
“We value our relationship with our first responders and their help today. We will continue to work together to keep our students and community safe,” Superintendent Brad Dahl said in a news release.
Shortly after the apparent hit-and-run, Rep. Mike Flood released a statement calling it “disturbing.”
“This is not what we do in Nebraska,” Flood said. “While initial reports say that the girl was alert and talking when she was taken away, we are praying for her and her well-being. The incident needs to be fully investigated by law enforcement. It is critical that our country preserve the ability of people to safely protest.”
According to a report from News Channel Nebraska, students were protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. Several protests, including ones in Nebraska, have erupted in the last week after federal agents shot and killed two people in Minneapolis in less than three weeks. Protesters have called for the end to the federal patrols and occupations that have been occurring in larger, Democratic-led cities.