UC Santa Cruz students and professors are taking part today in a massive protest to state education cuts. It's all part of peaceful Occupy Education rallies occurring at numerous UC and CSU schools, which will culminate in a statewide event at the Capitol on Monday. However, while blocking the front entrance of the Santa Cruz campus this morning, a car plowed through the group of protesters.

Santa Cruz Sentinel reports:

Just after 8:30 a.m. a man driving an orange Ford Mustang drove up High Street and attempted to make a right turn onto campus. He revved his engine, but the crowd stopped him from entering. The driver then revved his engine again and sped through the crowd of demonstrators at the High Street entrance, striking several people and a bike. No one appears to be seriously injured. UCSC Police Chief Nader Oweis, who was the only officer on scene when the incident happened, ordered the driver to back up the car, out of the crowded intersection. The crowd chanted "arrest him, arrest him."

The driver of the car and his female passenger were detained by authorities. Rightfully so. While no one, it seems, was seriously injured, several protesters were thrown to the ground or flung on top of the moving vehicle. For example, 20-year-old Abby Edwards claims she was knocked to the ground by the car, "hitting her head and her knee because of the impact." She goes on to explain, "Suddenly I'm on the hood and then on the ground." She was almost under the car "before someone pulled her to safety."

ABC 7 goes on the say that the driver also tried to hit a cyclist. The UC Santa Cruz campus has been closed since 4:30 a.m., with all the major entrances being blocked.

On a lighter note, protesters at UCSC created a giant banana slug, the school's mascot, out of yellow tarp.