After arguing with protesters, William Aslaksen (64), drove through the crowd during a Southern California protest against vaccine mandates.
“A witness stated a man disagreed with the protest, entered his vehicle, and intentionally drove toward the protesters,” Deputy Trina Schrader said in a statement. “The suspect then drove away westbound and out of view.”
The Los Angeles Times reported:
William Aslaksen was taken into custody about 90 minutes after the incident that took place at Rancho Vista Boulevard and 10th Street West. Officials said the incident occurred around 3:25 p.m.
Inmate records indicate that he was taken to the Palmdale Sheriff’s Department station under suspicion of felony assault. He was held there on Sunday in lieu of $50,000 bail. He is due to appear in Antelope valley Municipal Court in Lancaster on Tuesday.
The injured woman, who is in her 40s, was taken to a hospital because of injuries that were not life-threatening, Schrader said. Her name was not released.
According to the Legal Advocate, this case would likely be viewed as road rage:
The reckless actions of Mr. Aslaken, which resulted in the victim’s injuries, can be described as road rage, which is a form of reckless driving.
Road rage is when a driver causes injury to other people or property by committing a series of moving traffic offenses. According to AAA, road rage is responsible for more than 50% of fatal car accidents. Each year, road rage incidents cause approximately 30 deaths and 1,800 injuries.
