MANILA, Philippines — A Philippine police van rammed into protesters, leaving several bloodied, as an anti-U.S. rally turned violent Wednesday at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.
The van’s driver, police officer Franklin Kho, told reporters he did not deliberately hit the protesters but was trying to drive away because they were hitting the vehicle with wooden clubs and he feared they would commandeer it and use it to attack other policemen. “They were already trying to seize the vehicle,” Kho told reporters.
Associated Press TV footage showed the van repeatedly ramming the protesters as it drove wildly back and forth after activists surrounded and started hitting it with the batons they seized from police.
In front of horrified crowds, the van suddenly charged backward then sprinted forward twice over a space of about 60 feet, barreling through the scattered protesters and hurtling some to the side like bowling pins. A few were run over but somehow managed to stand. Some screamed in surprise, others hurled stones at the van and yelled invectives.