The Riverside Police Department is seeking help from the public two days after a black SUV driver sprinted through a group of protesters in downtown Riverside and a young woman who remains critical but stable.
According to Officer Ryan J. Railsback, a department spokesman, the department is seeking to identify and find the suspect in the incident that took place at 9:10pm on University Avenue between Main and Orange Streets.
Railsback said “a speeding SUV ran around the march and attacked a female pedestrian before fleeing the scene.”
Police have not made the name of the victim, but a woman who identified her as friend created a GoFundMe page and identified her as 21-year-old Alexa Carrasco.
“She was rushing to the hospital,” wrote friend Leslie Hernandez, who was in intensive care for “life-threatening injuries.”
She told the Times Monday that Carrasco remains in a critical but stable state in the ICU.
Carrasco’s friends also told KCAL he suffered severe skull injuries, in addition to cracked ribs, punctures of the lungs and fractured bones.
“Alexa is loving, extroverted and full of life,” writes Hernandez. “She was always the kind of person who showed up for others and she was proud to be there using her voice. She didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
Railsback said paramedics “treated the victim on the scene. She was then taken to a local hospital where she was seriously injured in a stable condition.”
At the time of the clash, there were two protests in the area. One was part of a “king” rally taking place across the country. The other was a demonstration against the attacks by US immigrants and customs enforcement.
“The group merged early,” Railsback said. “And there’s no reason to believe that drivers are part of this protest.”
Investigators are not only seeking a driver, but are also trying to determine whether the incident is intentional or politically relevant.
“I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not,” Railsback said.
Videos filmed by protesters and posted to social media show the black SUV stopped on University Avenue as groups of protesters began to gather around the vehicles. You can see one demonstrator hit the taillight on the left of the car, and another demonstrator can use the object to crush the light.
The car then advances around the protesters, passing Orange Street to speed up before dragging the young woman over and running.
“We recognize the various social media videos that are in circulation and use them to identify drivers,” says Railsback.
The public is asked to contact a detective at (951) 353-7103. Anonymous tips can be created through Crime Stoppers.
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