Sarah Litz, Marcella Corona, and Mike Higdon

Reno Gazette-Journal

7 p.m. Tuesday update:

The Reno Police Department has not arrested anyone in connection to a Monday incident in which a driver drove through a group of Columbus Day protesters and seriously injured 59-year-old Kitty Colbert.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said police contacted the 18-year-old driver three minutes after the incident, but made no arrests. The names of both the driver and 17-year-old passenger were not immediately released pending an investigation.

Colbert was interviewed in a video posted to Facebook from her hospital room at Renown Tuesday. She called on police to arrest the man who was driving the white pickup truck.

According to Soto, the protesters did not obtain a permit from the city of Reno. Permits are required when shutting down streets in order to pay for extra police. He would not speak to whether charges were made against the driver or passenger.

"There is certainly a law in place for protesters,” Soto said at Tuesday’s news conference. “If you want to protest on the sidewalk, there’s no law against that, so you can protest on the sidewalk all day long. Once you congregate in the street, there is a law for unlawful assembly.”

Online videos shared on social media show the group demonstrating on a crosswalk under the Reno Arch for several minutes. The group assembled under the arch to take a photo, according to protester Quanah Brightman, who is also the executive director of United Native Americans Inc. in San Francisco. Brightman said he came to participate with the protest but is now working on the aftermath.

Videos then show a driver in a white Nissan pickup approach the protesters on the crosswalk and rev the engine three times. Some participants fled the crosswalk, while a small group of protesters surrounded the truck. The incident sparked an exchange in heated words between the driver and the protesters. The driver than plowed through the group, injuring Colbert and hitting others, including Tara Tran.

Five people, including the driver and his passenger and three people from the scene, were evaluated by medics, Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said in a news conference on Tuesday.

The protest was organized by the American Indian Movement of Northern Nevada, according the event’s Facebook page. AIMNN organizers could not be reached for comment.

Renown Regional Medical Center listed Colbert's condition 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."

Colbert posted her video on Facebook at about 10:15 p.m. Monday that she was in the hospital with several small fractures but was doing fine. Three hours later, she posted again and said the outpouring of kindness and prayers was overwhelming.

On Tuesday, Brightman also posted a Facebook Live video of Colbert talking about her experience from a hospital bed at Renown.

Colbert said she feels “pretty strongly” about the police not arresting the person driving the truck that hit her.

“He had the choice to go around either direction on the street, and he deliberately plowed right through us, and I got run over,” Colbert said in the video. “I got run over, and now I have several pelvic fractures, a sacral fracture and one in my hips as well, a small fracture.”

In the video, Brightman asks Colbert, “What do you want the Reno Police Department to do about what happened?”

She responds: “I want them to arrest this guy. I mean, I know the guy in the passenger seat didn’t press the gas pedal, but the guy that was driving needs to be arrested. I feel that this was attempted vehicular homicide.”

“He could’ve killed me, and he didn’t care,” she continued. “He didn’t care that there were babies out there. He didn’t care that there were youth, and children and elders. He just didn’t care.”

Attempts to contacting Colbert were not returned by Tuesday at deadline.

Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve issued the following statement on behalf of the Reno City Council regarding Monday’s incident:

"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.”

A protest against the decision to not make an arrest started Tuesday evening at the Reno Police Station. A Facebook group called "Stand for Injustice" organized it.

Police were still investigating the video evidence captured Monday evening.

Brightman, reverend Norris Dupree, Bishop Luther DuPree Jr. and NAACP President Patricia Gallimore lead conversation, prayer and another march to Reno City Hall.

"Any time anyone tells you we were in the way, you know it's not true," said Tara Tran, in tears. "They were there to attack us and this was a hate crime."

Tran said the white Nissan also hit her.

The demonstrators asked for the police to arrest the drivers, saying that at the least the incident was a hit and run. Some protesters told police they would've arrested the driver had he been black or Latino.

Detective Ron Chalmers Jr. said before the demonstration began that they hoped people would come forward with more witness statements. He and other detectives left and were replaced with police officers on bicycles and patrol cars. The officers all escorted the protesters as they marched.

The protest ended with a prayer circle in front of Reno City Hall, where leaders urged people to come to Wednesday's Reno City Council Meeting for public comment.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Reno police at 775-334-2115, or Secret Witness at 775-322-4900.

3:35 p.m. Tuesday update:

The 59-year-old woman who was struck by a truck while protesting Columbus Day under the Reno Arch Monday night spoke out in a Facebook Live video posted by Quanah Parker Brightman Tuesday afternoon.

The woman, identified as Kitty Colbert, is seen in the video speaking from her hospital bed at Renown. She said she feels "pretty strongly" about the police not arresting the person driving the truck that hit her.

"He had the choice to go around either direction on the street, and he deliberately plowed right through us, and I got run over," Colbert said in the video. "I got run over and now I have several pelvic fractures, a sacral fracture and one in my hips as well, a small fracture."

Brightman asks in the video, "What do you want the Reno Police Department to do about what happened?"

She responds: "I want them to arrest this guy. I mean, I know the guy in the passenger seat didn't press the gas pedal, but the guy that was driving needs to be arrested. I feel that this was attempted vehicular homicide," Colbert responded. "He could've killed me, and he didn't care. He didn't care that there were babies out there. He didn't care that there were youth, and children and elders. He just didn't care."

During a press conference on Tuesday, Reno Police Chief Jason Soto said police made contact with the 18-year-old driver of the white Nissan pickup truck, but made no arrests. Soto said police are still investigating the video evidence captured Monday evening.

A protest against the decision to not make an arrest is planned for Tuesday evening at the Reno Police Station. A Facebook group called "Stand for Injustice" is organizing it.

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.

Original update:

Reno police provided a few more details Tuesday about a downtown incident where people were hurt by a pickup during a protest near the Reno Arch.

The names of the driver and passenger of the white Nissan pickup truck were not released by Reno Police Chief Jason Soto at the noon news conference.

Soto only identified the driver as an 18-year-old and the passenger as a 17-year-old. According to Soto, the driver contacted Reno police dispatch within three minutes of the incident.

Soto said the driver called police within three minutes. Police met with the driver and the passenger several blocks away, Soto said.

Soto would not speak to whether arrests or charges were made against the driver or passenger.

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

"There is certainly a law in place for protests," Soto said. "If you want to protest on the sidewalk, there's no law against that, so you can protest on the sidewalk all day long. Once you congregate in the street, there is a law for unlawful assembly."

Soto said five people including the driver, his passenger and three people from the scene were evaluated by medics. Soto did not have an update on the condition of the 59-year-old woman who was sent to the hospital after the incident.

Meanwhile, Renown Regional Medical Center listed the condition of the 59-year-old woman injured in the incident as "serious" on Tuesday afternoon.

Kitty 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.

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 .Some of the protesters were from the American Indian Movement of Northern Nevada.

Driver plows through Reno protesters under arch

This is an ongoing investigation.

Anyone with information about this incident including photo or video 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