GALLUP, N.M. (AP) — Police arrested several people who were in a large SUV that drove through a Native American celebration in New Mexico, causing multiple injuries along a parade route crowded with families. Two Gallup police officers were among those hurt.
Videos taken by people who had come to see the parade show the large brown vehicle speeding down a main street in the small city, against the direction of the parade. Children performing traditional dances appear to have been among the first to see it rushing toward them. They can be seen running to the side as people scream and families scramble to get out of the way.
The vehicle then swerved onto a side street and pulled into a parking spot before trying to pull out again, hitting a police car. Officers then converge on the vehicle, pulling at least two people out and handcuffing them on the pavement.
State Police Lt. Mark Soriano said no one was killed and he couldn't elaborate on the extent of the injuries, the Albuquerque Journal reported.
New Mexico State Police said on Twitter that the driver was in custody.
“Multiple people, including two Gallup PD officers, injured and are being treated on scene,” the tweet said.
The parade was a highlight of the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial Centennial Celebration, founded in 1922 to honor Native American and Indigenous heritage.
The Associated Press
