A black female motorist on Wednesday struck a man with her car when he tried to block her from escaping a violent mob in Louisville, Kentucky, according to local law enforcement officials.
Despite the immediate availability of footage showing the woman speed away as she was being physically assaulted by the crowd, despite the fact that one of her assailants even pulled a gun on her, National Public Radio published a report this weekend portraying the motorist as not just a villain, but a “right-wing” extremist.
Although it is notoriously difficult to sue news outlets in the United States for defamation or libel, the Kentucky motorist has a pretty strong case.
NPR claimed on Sunday in a since-deleted tweet, “Right-wing extremists are turning cars into weapons, with reports of 50 vehicle-ramming incidents since protests erupted nationwide in late May.” The tweet included a picture of the Louisville altercation.
The accompanying NPR report, titled “Vehicle Attacks Rise As Extremists Target Protesters,” also featured an image of the incident.
Just so we are all on the same page: A woman hit a man with her car on Wednesday as she fled from a mob that had turned violent. The Louisville Metro Police Department shared surveillance footage of the incident that same day. The footage clearly appears to support the woman’s claim that she feared for her life. Four days later, NPR published an article portraying the woman as a “right-wing extremist” who planned to use her car as a “weapon” against protesters.
NPR later published an editor’s note, which reads, “A previous version of this post and story included a photo of a protester being struck by a car in Louisville, Kentucky. The photo, chosen by editors, does not appear to be an example of the assaults described in the story, and has been replaced.”
Note: A previous version of this post and story included a photo of a protester being struck by a car in Louisville, Kentucky. The photo, chosen by editors, does not appear to be an example of the assaults described in the story, and has been replaced. pic.twitter.com/mDIzyoLmPO
— NPR (@NPR) June 21, 2020
For the record, here is footage of what happened in Louisville:
This story went from bad to worse. First, local news (@WLK) said police were interested in interviewing a driver who struck a protester. @WLKY purposefully omitted the first part of the video showing protesters attacking the driver.pic.twitter.com/kUnw7BlpTb
— Ian McKelvey (@ian_mckelvey) June 22, 2020
Also, for the record, here is what local law enforcement officials had to say about the incident, via a local Fox affiliate:
According to police, the victim told them that protesters surrounded her vehicle, and an argument ensued. The arrest report said protesters “began to reach into her car, scratching her vehicle window … and assaulting her, pulling her hair (pulling out a dreadlock) causing pain to victim.”
The victim also told police that one of the people had a handgun and that she was “in fear for her life and drove away from the crowd,” and struck one of the protesters running toward her vehicle.
According to the police report, the victim told police that she fled east on Liberty Street, but the protesters chased her, and when she stopped for a red light at 5th and Liberty streets, Anderson approached her vehicle, racked a handgun and pointed it at her.
A Louisville Metro Police detective said he saw Anderson pass the handgun to Richards, “who then hid the gun in a vehicle … to conceal evidence of the crime,” the report reads.
Police said they recovered the firearm, identified Anderson and Richards via video and arrested them Wednesday morning. Police also said both suspects admitted to the incident during an interview.
Police do not have plans to charge the motorist for the incident on Wednesday. Two of her assailants, on the other hand, face charges of “rioting in the first degree, tampering with physical evidence, disorderly conduct and obstruction of a highway.” Anderson also faces charges of “wanton endangerment and criminal mischief,” the Fox affiliate reports. The man who reportedly drew the gun on the female driver is facing additional charges of “wanton endangerment and criminal mischief.”
News outlets can be forgiven for giving incomplete or even inaccurate accounts during breaking news events. After all, there is only so much information available.
But what is NPR’s excuse? Its report came out four days after footage of the Louisville episode was made available to the public. For NPR’s sake, I hope it has some good lawyers. It may soon need them.
