Police Investigate Claim Oregon Mayor Deliberately Drove into BLM Protester

Police are investigating a claims that during a Black Lives Matter demonstration in a town in Oregon, a mayor of a neighboring town drove into a protester earlier this month.

As hundreds were marching through the town of Medford on June 1, one frustrated motorist in a bright yellow car started using his horn as his vehicle continued going forward very slowly.

Video of the incident shared on YouTube shows a woman who had stopped to hold up a sign, being struck by the car's left bumper and mirror. The woman involved, Mikala Johnston said that the driver of the car was Chris Luz, the mayor of Phoenix, Oregon.

The video of the incident shows angry protesters surrounding the yellow car, prompting the driver to get out and ask to be allowed through and then a verbal exchange with a protester he said had dented his hood.

Johnston raised the alleged incident on Monday during a Phoenix city council meeting when it was thrown open to public comment, accusing Luz of abusing his power as an elected official, News 10 reported.

"He then proceeds to drive his car right past me, hitting me with the front left of his vehicle and again with his side mirror," she said, according to the network.

"I couldn't believe this man would avoid slightly turning his wheel to not hit me. He then proceeded to try and drive through the crowd of peaceful protesters, that is when I decided to take out my phone and start recording and gather any information I could."

"We saw a perfect example of people in power not being held accountable for their actions when the Mayor of Phoenix Chris Luz hit me with his car."

During the meeting, Johnston spoke in front of Luz, who took notes and shook his head but did not respond to the accusations. One council member, Sarah Westover, who was also at the protests, called for the mayor's resignation.

Luz declined to comment after the meeting when approached by News 10. Newsweek has contacted Luz's office for comment.

Medford police have opened a criminal investigation into the allegation, Sgt. Jason Antley told The Washington Post.

Amid the allegations against the mayor, other speakers told the commission that at least two militia members armed with weapons were outside the chamber, where more than a dozen protesters had gathered to support Johnston, The Post reported.

The town's police said they took a "hands-off approach" to the June 1 protest and only intervened during confrontations. One person was arrested for allegedly pointing a gun directly at a person from his vehicle.