A man has been apprehended by the police for allegedly plowing through a crowd of protesters and causing severe injury to a woman during a weekend demonstration in downtown Riverside.
Several thousand individuals had assembled on University Avenue between Orange and Main Streets on Saturday at approximately 9:10 p.m. for one of the hundreds of “No Kings” protests that were taking place worldwide.
A young woman was struck by a black SUV that entered the crowd before fleeing the scene, according to the police.
The moment a vehicle abruptly turned toward the demonstrators and accelerated, striking at least one person before driving off, was captured in a video that was posted online. In the footage, a woman is heard shouting, “They just ran over my sister.”
The injured woman was treated by paramedics at the scene and transported to a hospital, where she is currently in critical but stable condition.
Robbery-homicide detectives identified the driver of the SUV as Russell Prentice, 58, of Riverside, by utilizing the vehicle’s license plate.
On Monday, Prentice was apprehended in the 4700 block of Jackson Street and subsequently booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside. He is currently awaiting charges of assault with a deadly weapon and hit-and-run causing injury.
Additionally, the police apprehended 39-year-old Candase Wenzel of Riverside, who they allege assisted in the transportation of the vehicle to Phelan and made an effort to conceal and destroy evidence. According to the police, she is currently being charged with destruction of evidence and accessory after the fact.
“From the officers in the field that night to our detectives who immediately launched the investigation, along with support from our Crime Analysis Unit and METRO Team, this case was solved quickly thanks to their combined efforts,” Riverside Police Chief Larry Gonzalez said. “Equally important were the tips we received from our community.”
The Riverside Police Department is requesting that anyone with information provide it to them, as the investigation is still ongoing.
