Marcella Corona, and Sarah Litz

Reno Gazette-Journal

Follow our latest updates here.

2:10 Tuesday update:

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve, on behalf of the Reno City Council, has issued the following statement regarding the incident Monday night:

"This incident is troublesome and saddens us deeply. I take these matters very seriously, and I believe they must be investigated thoroughly and promptly. Public safety is our highest priority, and I want all Reno residents to know that we are working swiftly and diligently to make sense of the events that took place last night. Please be advised that the Reno Police Department will hold anyone responsible accountable for their actions once the investigation has concluded.

"I respect an individual or group’s right to conduct lawful protest, and encourage people to express their First Amendment rights.

"Again, I want to reiterate if anyone has any information, including photos and videos, it is extremely important that you come forward by contacting the Reno Police Department at 775-334-2115, or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.

Woman injured at protest: 'I want them to arrest this guy'

1:07 Tuesday update:

Renown Regional Medical Center listed the 59-year-old woman sent to the hospital after the incident as "serious" Tuesday afternoon.

According to Renown's website, serious is described as, "Vital signs may be unstable or outside normal limits. The patient is acutely ill or injured and may have major complications."

Kitty Colbert was posting Monday night on Facebook that she is in "good spirits."

Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said at a Tuesday press conference that five people - the driver, his passenger and three people from the scene were evaluated by medics. Colbert was sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries to her lower extremities.

Colbert posted on Facebook at around 10:15 p.m. Monday that she is in the hospital with several small fractures, is doing fine, but is sore.

Three hours later, Colbert posted again and said, "The outpouring of kindness and prayers following my attack tonight have been overwhelming."

Both posts were shared and had comments from people sending well-wishes.

Attempts to contact Colbert had not been returned as of Tuesday afternoon.

12:36 p.m. update:

Reno police provided a few more details Tuesday at a noon press conference.

The names of the driver and passenger of the white Nissan pickup truck were not released. Reno Police Chief Jason Soto only identified the driver as an 18-year-old and the passenger as a 17-year-old. Soto would not speak to whether arrests or charges were made against the driver or passenger.

Woman injured at protest: 'I want them to arrest this guy'

According to Soto, the protesters did not obtain a permit from the City of Reno.

Original update Monday:

At least four people were hurt by a pickup and one woman was hospitalized during a protest in downtown Reno.

The incident occurred at around 6:41 p.m. Monday under the Reno Arch on Virginia Street where a group of around 40 protesters gathered, a news release sent early Tuesday morning from the Reno Police Department said. The protesters were part of a group protesting the observance of Columbus Day, Quanah Brightman, executive director of United Native Americans Inc., said after the protest. Protesters were also speaking out against the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota.

The entire incident was caught on camera and broadcast live on Facebook.

Brightman said a large group of protesters had stopped under the Reno Arch when two men in a white Nissan pickup truck stopped just before the crosswalk.

Several photos show the crowd of protesters surrounding the truck. The video shows the driver approach the protesters and then the group crowded around the truck. The protesters and the driver exchange heated words. The driver then drives his truck through the crowd before leaving the scene.

The group had stopped under the arch for a photo. According to Brightman, the driver had been "stalking" the group.

“This is a hate crime,” Brightman said. “It’s still brutal to see this kind of racism in America. That man deserves life (in prison) for what he did.”

The encounter begins at 2:55 in the Facebook video posted above. Here is another angle of the incident captured by Facebook user Elmer Smith:

Brightman said an elderly woman was hospitalized after she went under the truck. According police, she was transported to Renown Regional Medical Center for non-life threatening lower extremity injuries. Four other people were treated on scene for minor injuries, police said.

“Someone took a photo of the license plate number, and we have pictures and video,” he said. “Police should file hate crime charges.”

After ramming into the crowd, the driver sped down Virginia Street and made a right turn on Second Street, another witness said.

According to police, the driver of the vehicle stopped several blocks away and called police to provide his account of the events. The driver and passenger of the pickup truck were interviewed and are cooperating with the ongoing investigation, police said.

The Rev. Ralph Whitted said he was standing at the intersection of Virginia and Second streets when he saw the truck speed off.

“He was weaving in between cars, gunned it and nearly clipped another car,” Whitted said.

(Watch a witness describe the incident in a Facebook live video below:)

Taylor Paniagua Sr. said he jumped in front of the pickup in an effort to stop the driver from fleeing. Paniagua said he caught the hood of the truck, but the driver kept going.

He said he grabbed one of the side doors and was dragged toward Second Street. He eventually let go and slid, scraping his arms.

“This just is not right,” Paniagua said. “It didn’t seem right when they revved the engine.”

“I had to stand up for my rights,” he said. “I’m Native American myself, and I’m from Oklahoma. It was just uncalled for.”

Paniagua described the men as white, “chubby” and in their 20s.

The investigation is ongoing.

See another video of the confrontation below. Warning: The video below contains explicit language.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Reno Police Department at 334-2188, Secret Witness at 322-4900, www.secretwitness.com or text the tip to 847411 (TIP 411) keyword – SW

Check with RGJ for more updates as they become available.

Marcella Corona covers breaking news for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Contact her at 775-788-6340, email her at mcorona@rgj.com or follow her on Twitter at @Marcella_Anahi or on Facebook at Facebook.com/Marcella.Anahi.