Driver ploughs into 50 protesters in New York, injuring six

Multiple people were struck by a vehicle in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan during a march in solidarity with ICE detainees 

Credit: Getty

A motorist struck about half a dozen people taking part in a protest in New York City on Friday, causing injuries but no deaths, police and media reports said.

A spokesman for the New York Police Department told AFP that the vehicle hit "multiple" people in Manhattan’s Murray Hill area at 4:08pm.

Dozens of people were participating in the protest, which was aimed at drawing attention to an ongoing hunger strike by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at a jail in New Jersey.

The ICE detainees have gone four weeks with no food as part of a hunger strike protesting their treatment.

"An unknown number of people have been injured. They have been taken to various hospitals. It is not thought that any of the injuries are life-threatening," he said.

BREAKING: Multiple pedestrians hit at 39th/3rd in Manhattan #nbc4ny (pic: @CitizenAppNYC) pic.twitter.com/1hyeN7uQzy

— Steven Bognar (@Bogs4NY) December 11, 2020

The spokesman added that the driver, a woman, had stayed at the scene and was in custody.

The spokesman said it was "too early to tell" whether it was intentional or a traffic accident, and it is not yet known whether the driver will face charges.

Eyewitnesses said they saw at least six people injured.