Reno Police Chief Jason Soto says the three individuals have been arrested, the driver of the truck and two protesters, in connection with the incident in downtown Reno that happened on Monday, October 10, 2016.
The driver has been identified as 18-year-old Nick Mahaffey. Records show Mahaffey was booked into custody Friday, October 14 and was released on $1,000 bail. On Wednesday, November 9, court records show Mahaffey has plead not guilty to the charge of provoke assault.
One of the protesters in question was 24-year-old James Fletcher, he was booked on Saturday, October 15th and was released on $1,000 bail. On Monday, October 17, court records show that Fletcher plead not guilty to the charge of simple battery.
The other protester was 21-year-old Samuel Harry and he was booked on Thursday, October 13th for simple battery and has a $1,000 bail.
Chief Soto walked the crowd through the events of Monday night's protest after several days of investigation:
At approximately 6:40 p.m. Monday, Reno police responded to the downtown arch on reports that a vehicle drove through a crowd of protesters on Virginia Street during a Columbus Day parade.
Some of the protesters were from the American Indian Movement of Northern Nevada. According to Raquel Arthur of the American Indian Movement, the protest was being held to abolish Columbus Day and to bring awareness to hate against indigenous people. Chief Soto has added that many of the protesters had gathered peacefully on the plaza for about an hour to an hour and a half before the incident. Mahaffey and his 17-year-old passenger did briefly attend the peaceful protest.
The group walked several blocks to the arch down Virginia Street, with several people walking in the north bound lane blocking traffic. During this walk, Mahaffey's vehicle passes the group and words are exchanged, including the shouting of expletives.
Minutes later, police say approximately 40 people were blocking Virginia Street at the arch. The group initially came to take a photograph though some protesters told the police department that they did plan on blocking the traffic for upwards of two hours.
The driver of a Nissan pickup, now identified as Mahaffey, was heading southbound on Virginia Street when he stopped in front of the demonstration. Police say that he approached in an "antagonistic" manner honking his horn and revving his engine. Several protesters approached the vehicle, and a confrontation ensued between the driver and protesters. While some urged him to take another route, others can be heard threatening to remove Mahaffey from his vehicle or to perform acts of violence.
Chief Soto makes mention that during the verbal confrontation no mention of race or religion was made by any parties involved.
As the confrontation escalates, James Fletcher is observed attempting to open the driver's door and then punching Mahaffey in the face. The 17-year-old passenger was also punched in the face.
Mahaffey says that he lurched his vehicle forward, as seen in the videos, to urge the group to clear his path so he could leave what he felt to be a threat to his safety. Then he drive through the crowd injuring a 59-year-old woman who was taken to Renown. She suffered non-life threatening injuries to her lower body. Several others also reported injuries but were treated on scene.
Mahaffey stopped several blocks away and called the police to report the incident. Police and medical services arrived on scene within minutes.
This incident sparked many discussions on social media as well as a second protest at the Reno Police Department the following night. Paul Nelson has that part of the story:
"It was his duty as a citizen, not to escalate it but to de-escalate it and back out as he should have, knowing the fact that if he went forward, he was going to risk someone's life," Mike Graham, Founder of United Native America said.
Meanwhile, many have taken to social media, saying it was up to the protesters to move out of the way, since they were breaking the law by disrupting traffic. The protesters did not have a permit.
"If you want to protest on the sidewalk, there's no law against that," Chief Jason Soto, Reno Police Department said. "So, you can protest on the sidewalk all day long but once you congregate on the street, there is a law for unlawful assembly."
Raquel Arthur of the American Indian Movement, says the protest started at the City Plaza and moved downtown under the Reno Arch. They say they were gathered in the crosswalk to take a photograph when two individuals in a vehicle approached them and were hostile to the group.
On Thursday, October 13, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, on behalf of the Reno City Council, has issued the following statement regarding the incident that occurred on Monday evening near the Reno Arch.
These past few days have been extremely difficult for the Reno community, as we’ve all struggled to make sense of the events that took place during a demonstration under the Reno Arch.
It is our role to do what we can to maintain peace and order in our community. Transparency and communication will be the tools to peace, understanding and respect.
We are an inclusionary community and most importantly, we need to represent the change we want to see in our community.
I would like to stress that this is still an ongoing investigation and we are devoting all necessary resources available to the swift application of justice.
I’m incredibly proud, along with my fellow Council Members, to represent the City of Reno, and I know that my fellow northern Nevadans can come together in times like these to make our community stronger.
Again, I want to reiterate if anyone has any information, including photos and videos, it is extremely important that you come forward by contacting the Reno Police Department at 775-334-2115, or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.
