George Floyd death: Ute driven through protesters in Florida

A person has been arrested after driving a ute through a crowd of protesters in Tallahassee, Florida.

No one was seriously injured, Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey said, despite video showing one person landing on the truck's bonnet. 

Protesters surrounded the truck when it stopped at an intersection, chanting "Black lives matter". The driver then suddenly accelerated into the crowd.

"What the f**k!?" a woman can be heard shouting, as other protesters chase the truck down the street, throwing projectiles such as bottles. Police quickly arrive, and a man and woman are escorted into a waiting vehicle as protesters start smashing up the ute.

"Why are you protecting them?" a woman constantly screams.

An eyewitness told local media protesters were "on that thing like flies".

"They were banging on the windows, pieces of asphalt rocks, their signs, just smashing on the sides," Lucas von Hollen told WCTV. "They took out one of the headlights of it [sic]. Whoever was driving it couldn't really continue and had to swerve off and park haphazardly."

He said police arrived incredibly quickly and handled the confrontation well. 

"It's not like what you've seen on the TV where it's the populace versus the police. The police were absolutely on everyone's side and it was really refreshing to see."

Protests at the White House.
Protests at the White House. Photo credit: Reuters

Tallahassee police said the protest until that moment had been peaceful.

"The driver was immediately detained. As of this time, there are no known injuries. This is an extremely tense, emotional time across the nation. Mutual respect among all of us is vital. The Tallahassee Police Department supports the nonviolent gathering of protestors and will uphold their constitutional right to do so, while making every effort to maintain a safe environment for our community."

Dailey said the "peaceful protestors have my unwavering support and I unequivocally condemn any violence toward protestors".

Protests have erupted across the US in recent days, following the death of African-American man George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis. A white police officer kneeled on his neck for eight minutes, and Floyd later died. The officer has been charged with murder.