A car has plowed into protesters during a protest in a US city, on edge for the past year since the killing of George Floyd

Minneapolis, June 15 (RHC)-- A car has plowed into protesters during a protest in a U.S. city, on edge for the past year since the killing of George Floyd.  The deadly incident occurred in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, Monday afternoon.

"Protesters pulled the suspect from the vehicle and, from reports of witnesses, began to strike the driver," the Minneapolis police department said in a statement.  "Officers arrived and took custody of the driver."

Police officers were reportedly monitoring a demonstration in the area when a car drove into the crowd.  "The Medical Examiner will release the identity of the victim, along with the nature and cause of death in the days to come," police said.

Protests have been going on since a Marshals Service task force shot and killed Winston Boogie Smith Jr., a 32-year-old Black father of three who was sitting in a parked vehicle at the time.

"Preliminary investigation indicates that the use of drugs or alcohol by the driver may be a contributing factor in this crash," police said.

Over a year has passed since George Floyd was murdered by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, in an act of brutality.  The murder of Floyd led to unprecedented demonstrations last year, and the trial of the cop who had his knee on Floyd’s neck for nine minutes made headline news nationwide.