Glenn Wheet, a 48-year-old doctor from Mishawaka, Indiana, has been charged with criminal recklessness after a July 4th incident in which he alleged drove his car into a crowd of protesters assembled on the town’s Main Street bridge, the South Bend Tribune reports.
A physician with a private family practice, Wheet reportedly initially turned on the road where the protest was taking place, but going in the opposite direction. He then made a U-turn via a roundabout and drove toward the demonstrators.
Driving over traffic cones set up to stop cars from entering the protest, Wheet then maneuvered through the crowd of around 50 people, striking many demonstrators. Wheet then drove over traffic cones on the other side of the bridge and accelerated away.
One person was sent to the hospital with injuries after being dragged about 50 feet by the vehicle.
After driving through the crowd, Wheet called 911 on his cell phone, saying that he thought the crowd was violating traffic laws by blocking the bridge, and that he drove through the crowd after some of the protestors jumped on his vehicle. He feared for his safety, he claimed.
Video of the incident, however, contradicts the doctor’s claims. People surrounded Wheet’s vehicle after he had hit people and tried to make him stop.