Yesterday saw reports about the driver of an SUV that ran into 6 migrant workers in the parking lot of a North Carolina Walmart, injuring all 6, before speeding away. Per the news articles, local police indicated that the driver was an older white male and that it was an "intentional assault". (See, e.g., this report from the Daily Mail, and this one from CBS News).
Except that it wasn't a white male and probably wasn't even intentional. Today it is reported that the driver of the SUV is one Daniel Gonzalez, 68, of Hickory, North Carolina. And Gonzalez, pictured, is claiming that "he was parking at Walmart and hit the gas by accident, striking six men, then panicked and left the scene." He turned himself into police Monday evening.
The article also mentions that "[o]n Sunday evening Lincolnton Police released surveillance footage of the crash and said it appeared to be an 'intentional assault,' though the department's interim chief said they are now considering new evidence." Gonzalez has been charged with felony hit-and-run but apparently not any assault or battery charges.
The injured migrant workers were identified by police as Jorge A. Lopez, Zalapa M. Hermosillo, Jose L. Calderon, Luis D. Alcantar, Rodrigo M. Gutierrez-Tapia and Santiago Baltazar.
You might think that I'm exaggerating when I insinuate that the police were hoping that this was some sort of terrorist incident involving white nationalists. But I would note that an NBC affiliate reports that "[t]he police department said it is continuing to work with the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation and the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles on the investigation." Maybe its different in North Carolina, but at least where I live the FBI and state police do not get involved in a simple hit-and-run incident that is being handled by the local police department. And the Charlotte Observer relates:
Earlier Monday, the FBI had joined in assisting Lincolnton police in the case.
And the Carolina Migrant Network called the incident a hate crime. The group has not yet issued a comment on the new information about the case.
Tells you who the FBI wants to protect.
ReplyDeleteI'd say that half want to protect their pensions and the other half have been promised that they will rule in Hell.
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