SUV flying Trump flag runs down student at ICE protest near school, flees the scene

FREMONT, Neb. — The driver of a vehicle that hit a student at an anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement protest Thursday afternoon outside Fremont High School has been located and identified as a juvenile, according to a news release from the Fremont Police Department.

"A thorough investigation of all aspects of this incident is being completed and appropriate charges will be determined at the completion of the investigation," the release states.

The Tribune observed the vehicle, a red SUV with a Trump flag flying from the backseat window, driving back and forth multiple times prior to striking the student, revving its engine and speeding along North Lincoln Avenue in front of the school.

Just prior to the incident, the vehicle had stopped near the curb in front of a group of students and the driver had gotten out. When the driver returned to the vehicle, he started to pull out into the street and hit a student with the front passenger-side of the vehicle, as witnessed by The Tribune.

The vehicle stopped briefly and Scott Jensen, the executive director of secondary operations for Fremont Public Schools, stood in front of it in an attempt to stop the driver from leaving, but the driver maneuvered his way around Jensen and down the street.

In a released statement, the Fremont Police Department confirmed the accident, and said that the student was transported to the hospital "due to injury."

Fremont Police Department is investigating.

U.S. Rep. Mike Flood issued a statement condemning the incident, saying, "This is not what we do in Nebraska."

"This is not ok. The video of the girl being hit by a car at the school protest is disturbing. While initial reports say that the girl was alert and talking when she was taken away, we are praying for her and her well-being. The incident needs to be fully investigated by law enforcement. It is critical that our country preserve the ability of people to safely protest.”

In a statement from Fremont Public Schools, the district states that school administrators were on scene at the protest — which was not sponsored by the school — "to ensure students were safe and peaceful."

Superintendent Brad Dahl thanked the Fremont police and fire departments for for their swift response to the incident.

“We value our relationship with our first responders and their help today," he said. "We will continue to work together to keep our students and community safe."

The school district said it "will continue to work with students, staff and families to maintain safe, secure and respectful learning environments."

Before the student was struck, and after, the protest was peaceful, if a little rambunctious. About 150 students streamed out of Fremont High at 2 p.m. brandishing anti-ICE signs and chanting anti-ICE slogans.

The protest was part of a statewide movement that appears to have been organized through social media. None of the students or staff seemed to know who had organized the Fremont walkout.

One student, Jazmin, said that she was protesting because ICE’s actions in Minneapolis is “an abuse of power.”

“We shouldn’t be having to go through this,” she said. “We shouldn’t have people scared to go out.”

Jazmin carried a protest sign with a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. — “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Jazmin said that her parents came to the United States from Mexico — legally — to give her and her siblings a better life.

“But they’re both profiled, which is something that shouldn’t be happening,” she said. “We’re all fighting to have a better life, so it isn’t fair that this is being taken away from us, because every day we stand up in the school and we have the Pledge of Allegiance for what?”

One protest sign said, “This isn’t about politics, it’s about humanity,” while another asked, “History is screaming, are you listening?”

Many cars that passed in front of the school Thursday afternoon honked their horns in support of the students’ message.