Police in North Carolina are investigating a potential hate crime after a driver reportedly drove into pedestrians who were protesting the fatal officer-involved shooting of Andrew Brown Jr., WRAL reports. Last week, a district attorney said the deputies involved were "justified" in their actions and wouldn't face criminal charges, sparking continued protests throughout North Carolina and the rest of the country.
According to the Elizabeth City Police Department, a female motorist struck two pedestrians around 6:45 p.m. Monday (May 24) who were "peacefully protesting and exercising their constitutional rights" at the intersection of Ehringhaus Street and Griffin Street. The victims, identified as two Black women from Elizabeth City, were taken to a nearby hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Police arrested the driver, identified as 41-year-old Lisa Michelle O'Quinn, a white woman from Greenville, on multiple charges which could potentially include a hate crime.
"The police department is currently investigating this matter and we will be presenting facts and findings in this case to include potential aggravating factors for criminal enhancements for potential sentencing purposes of a hate crime involving this event," the department said in a press release.
O'Quinn is currently facing several serious charges, including two felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill by the use of a motor vehicle, one count of careless and reckless driving, and one count of unsafe movement. She was booked into Albemarle District Jail on a $40,000 bond.
Photo: Elizabeth City Police Department