2nd motorist charged with driving into Memphis protest
Published 12:53 pm Wednesday, June 10, 2020
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MEMPHIS (AP) — Authorities say a second man has been accused of recklessly driving into a group of people protesting against police brutality in Memphis.
A police affidavit says Beau Albauer, 26, was arrested Tuesday on charges of reckless driving and reckless endangerment with a deadly weapon after he drove a Nissan Juke toward Black Lives Matter protesters Friday in Midtown Memphis.
A protester told police he encountered Albauer early in the demonstration and Albauer was upset that streets were blocked.
Albauer later drove toward protesters who had to “make sudden evasive maneuvers to avoid being hit as the driver deliberately drove towards them,” the affidavit said.
The driver kept accelerating towards the crowd but he did not hit anyone, police said. He was stopped by police at the scene but was released. Albauer was arrested after police reviewed video surveillance footage.
Protest marches have taken place in Memphis since the death of George Floyd, a black man who died last month in Minneapolis after a white officer pressed his knee against the handcuffed man’s neck for nearly 9 minutes.
Online court records do not show if Albauer has a lawyer.
Anthony Marcuzzo, 18, also has been charged with recklessly driving into the same protest. Police said he hit four people, one of whom suffered minor injuries.
Both Marcuzzo and Albauer are white. Police have not said if the men intended to hit protesters.
