No charges for drivers who hit people at Columbia protests

(AP) The Boone County Prosecutor does not plan to file charges against two drivers who collided with protesters during protests in Columbia last year.

Assistant Prosecutor David Hansen said Tuesday in a letter to Police Chief Geoff Jones that evidence did not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that either driver intentionally hit people on June 1, 2020, in different incidents. He says evidence indicates both drivers were trying to lawfully get through the crowd that gathered in downtown Columbia to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

Hansen also said he would not charge any protesters who blocked vehicles in the street.