Four People Injured in Hit-And-Run Incident at Winnipeg Protest, Driver Arrested

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - At least four people were injured when a man drove his vehicle through a group of demonstrators protesting against COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada's Manitoba Province, city police said.

The hit-and-run incident occurred on Friday night.

"The initial information was that a west-bound Jeep Patriot had driven through a group of protesters that were part of the 'Freedom Convoy'", Winnipeg Police Spokesperson Const. Rob Carver told reporters on Saturday.

According to Carver, police eventually stopped the vehicle and the driver was arrested "after a brief struggle".

"The Jeep struck four adult males in total", the police spokesperson said, specifying that three people suffered minor injuries and were treated on the scene, while a fourth person was taken to a local hospital.

The 42-year-old suspect is currently in custody and faces several charges. According to law enforcement, he was not one of the participants in the "Freedom Convoy" rally held outside the Manitoba Legislative Building.

The current wave of protests against COVID-19 measures in Canada started at the end of January, when thousands of truckers and other demonstrators gathered in Ottawa expressing strong opposition to vaccine mandates for truckers crossing the US-Canada border.

The protests have been generally peaceful, but several criminal investigations have been launched into a series of incidents connected to the demonstrations.