Car Hits Two People Protesting Alleged Lynching Attempt in Indiana

At least two people were injured when a car drove through a crowd of protesters in Indiana. Footage appeared on social media showing two people clinging to the hood of a red vehicle after it drove into the crowd in Bloomington on Monday night.

The protest was organized in response to a July 4 incident in Lake Monroe in which Black man Vauhxx Rush Booker, a member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission, was allegedly attacked by a group of white men and threatened with being lynched.

"So this just happened IN Bloomington, Indiana... a lady was hit by this car and the driver sped off. WITH HER STILL ON THE HOOD," tweeted Rodney Root while sharing a brief clip of the car speeding away.

Another video also shows a man, believed to be the passenger, exiting the vehicle to remove a scooter from in front of the car before getting back in and driving away.

Geoff Stewart was one of the two people struck by the vehicle. He told RTV6: "A woman driving the vehicle came up to the stop and had started revving her engine toward us and we tried to stop her and let her know that the crowd is clearing up just wait a second.

"But, she and her passenger both wanted to go right away so they started to push, they pushed into the woman that was with me and when she pushed again both of us went on the vehicle."

The Bloomington Police Department have been contacted for comment.

The protest was organized in response to the alleged racist attack on Booker which occurred on July 4.

"I don't want to recount this, but I was almost the victim of an attempted lynching," Booker said in a lengthy Facebook post. "I don't want this to have happened to me or anyone. It hurts my soul, and my pride, but there are multiple witnesses and it can't be hidden or avoided."

Booker said he "was attacked by five white men (with confederate flags) who literally threatened to lynch me" in front of a group of witnesses on July 4.

He said the group had blocked them off as they attempted to gain access to a public beach, claiming it was their private property. When Booker and his friends started to leave, the alleged attackers jumped on him and knocked him to the ground.

He described how the men began hitting him on the head and ripping his hair out during the attack which lasted several minutes.

"At one point during the attack one of the men jumped on my neck. I could feel both his feet and his full bodyweight land hard against my neck," Booker wrote.

"The attackers told the growing group, 'we're going to break his arms' (while literally attempting to bend my arms behind me) and then stated to the members of their party several times to, 'get a noose', amongst some other choice slurs."

Booker also uploaded a video showing a man in a red tank top appearing to hold him down, while several witnesses urge "let him go."

"I lack the ability to adequately express my thoughts regarding this moment. How many Black people had the same surreal and terrifying experience of strangers talking about their own murders in front of them, who then didn't live to see another day," Booker added.

Booker's Facebook post has been seen more than five million times.

Law enforcement officers with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources confirmed they responded to an alleged battery incident on the evening of July 4.

"The Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Law Enforcement Division is working diligently with the Monroe County Prosecutor's Office to ensure a lawful resolution," a spokesperson told the Indianapolis Star. "This matter remains under investigation and no further information will be released at this time."