Video: Man seen clinging to car roof after confrontation with driver in Berkeley
Video: Man seen clinging to car roof after confrontation with driver in Berkeley
A frightening scene was caught on cellphone video Sunday afternoon in northwest Berkeley, where a man was seen clinging to the roof of a moving car. The situation began around 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of Eighth and Gilman streets, where a driver in a Toyota Prius allegedly began antagonizing a nearby homeless encampment by repeatedly blasting his horn.
BERKELEY, Calif. - A frightening scene was caught on cellphone video in northwest Berkeley, where a man was seen clinging to the roof of a moving car.
The situation began on Sunday around 12:30 p.m. near the intersection of Eighth and Gilman streets, where a driver in a Toyota Prius allegedly began antagonizing a nearby homeless encampment by repeatedly blasting his horn.
"There was a man yelling at people at the encampment, just like being obscene," said Jessica Prado, a witness who identified herself as a spokesperson for the encampment.
Prado said she confronted the driver, recording the interaction on her phone.
"I told him, ‘Hey, we’re going to report you if you keep doing this,’ because it happens pretty often, just people coming here and being mean," said Prado.
Moments later, Prado’s friend also approached the vehicle.
"He was in the crosswalk when basically the car hit him, and then basically my friend had to like jump on top of the car because he was like going to keep going," said Prado.
The vehicle was filmed continuing down the street for an entire block with the man holding onto the roof.
"It was scary, because I kept being like, ‘Hey stop, don’t take the man, you know, you already ran him over, don’t take the man with you,’ " said Prado.
She said the man’s leg appeared to be caught on a part of the vehicle.
"So he couldn’t even get off the car," said Prado.
Police arrived minutes later and the injured man was taken to the hospital.
"It looked like his leg was…like broken probably," said Prado.
The driver was seen speaking with officers before being taken into custody in handcuffs. His car was later towed from the scene.
"I understand that is a frustrating situation, but we shouldn’t treat people in this way," said Prado. "I was just really concerned that it was going to end up even worse."
The victim’s current condition is unknown. It is also unclear what charges, if any, the driver may face.
KTVU has reached out to Berkeley police for details on the investigation and is awaiting a response.