A 52-year-old woman from Queens, New York, was charged after driving through a crowd of protesters participating in "The People March in Solidarity with ICE Detainees" in Manhattan on Friday (December 11) afternoon. The group was protesting in solidarity with immigration detainees at the Bergen County Jail in New Jersey.
Kathleen Casillo was given a desk appearance ticket for reckless endangerment and is due in court on February 22. She faces up to one year in prison.
Video footage captured Casillo pull up to an intersection when protesters surrounded her car. When several people began striking her vehicle, she sped forward into the crowd. She hit several people, leaving six people injured. None of the injuries are considered life-threatening.
The NYPD said that the street was supposed to be blocked off, but Casillo, who was driving with her 29-year-old daughter, was parked in the middle of the block and was trying to leave, which led to the confrontation with the protesters.
An officer on a scooter flagged down Casillo a block away, and she was taken into custody and questioned by officers.
Another woman, Nicole Besuden, 32, was arrested following the incident for disorderly conduct, obstructing governmental administration, and interfering with emergency medical services.
Photo: Getty Images