Several hurt when truck runs into minimum wage protesters in Michigan

A pickup truck drove into a crowd of protesters calling for a higher guaranteed minimum wage on Tuesday in Flint, Mich., injuring several people, The Associated Press reported. 

Flint Police Chief Tim Johnson told the AP that the crash is believed to be an accident, and that the driver of the pickup truck was “pretty shaken up.” Eight people were hospitalized as a result of the incident, Johnson said.

The car plowed into the crowd shortly after 7 a.m., when it was still dark outside. Protesters had gathered outside a McDonald’s in Flint, according to a local CBS affiliate.  

Michigan gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer (D) was among those in attendance, tweeting that she was “incredibly sad that so many people were hurt.”

I was in Flint for the rally this morning and am incredibly sad that so many people were hurt. https://t.co/4gtoYMP7NO

— Gretchen Whitmer (@gretchenwhitmer) October 2, 2018

{mosads}Whitmer is running against Republican nominee Bill Schuette, who is currently the state’s attorney general.

The protest was organized by Fight for $15, a group aiming to increase the minimum wage to $15 nationwide. 

Amazon announced earlier Tuesday that it intends to increase its hourly minimum wage to $15 per hour for its employees. That company has been subject to intense criticism from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who, along with progressive Democrats, has advocated for a higher federal minimum wage.