Driver who flew confederate flag assaulted after running over 4-year-old African American boy
Driver who flew confederate flag assaulted after running over 4-year-old African American boy
An 18-year-old pick-up truck driver was assaulted by a group of up to ten people after he ran over a four-year-old African American boy.
The teenager, known only as Ryan, was driving his 13-year-old girlfriend Brook Schumpf when he accidentally hit Damajae Winn in Winona, Minnesota on Monday night.
According to Miss Schumpf, Ryan got out of the cab to check on the youngster, when a group of people approached him and started punching and kicking him.
Miss Schumpf told WDAZ.com: ‘All of a sudden, this kid ran out in front of us and he hit the bumper. I swear they came out of nowhere. I didn’t see any of them, and they were there in, like, two seconds.’
She then described the moment her boyfriend was attacked, claiming he was jumped by between three and ten people: ‘I’m sitting here—I’m like, “Oh God, he’s going to die. He’s going to die.”‘
She said that her boyfriend did not intend hitting the youngster with his truck, claiming it was an accident.
Miss Schrumpf said she believed her boyfriend was attacked because he previously flew the Confederate flag from his truck. The flag had earlier been stolen and burned.
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Miss Schrumpf said the boy’s mother started shouting at her.
She told CBS Local: ‘His mom kept screaming at me “you’re a racist b—-” and just yelling at me and all these guys were coming at Ryan and hitting him.’
Commenting on the flag, she added: ‘It was nothing towards them. We didn’t even see the kid, so it was rough with everybody saying it was because we had the Confederate flag out.’
She later told WKOW.com: ‘To us that’s just a battle flag, it has nothing to do with racism. I don’t even have words to explain the anger I have towards everybody right now.’
Eyewitness Tamara Witherspoon said that the four-year-old was being held by his mother in the immediate aftermath of the accident. ‘He looked pretty bad.’
Ms Witherspoon said local residents knew that the driver of the pick up truck had been flying the Confederate flag.
She added: ‘They probably wouldn’t have jumped on him if he hadn’t been, you know, provoking people around here.’
Police in Winona are currently investigating both the accident and the alleged assault.
Both the driver and little Damajae were taken to hospital. Police confirmed that the four-year-old boy suffered non-life threatening injuries.
The driver was treated for bruising and suffered a chipped tooth.
