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RENO, Nev. — A pickup truck drove through a group of activists protesting Columbus Day, hitting at least four and sending one to the hospital.
The group of about 40 protesters, which also was speaking out against the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota, had stopped at about 7 p.m. PT Monday under the Reno arch to pose for a photo when two men in a white Nissan pickup stopped just before a crosswalk, said Quanah Brightman, executive director of United Native Americans.
The driver approached the protesters and the group crowded around the truck, according to a Facebook Live video from Taylor de Lao. The protesters and the driver exchanged heated words, and the man in the truck then drove through the crowd.
“This is a hate crime,” Brightman said. “It’s still brutal to see this kind of racism in America. That man deserves life (in prison) for what he did.”