A New York real estate developer has been charged with felony assault following an incident at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in New York City. The developer, aged 57, was arrested after allegedly hitting a 55-year-old safety marshal with his car during the protest, as reported by witnesses and the New York Police Department.
The woman who was struck by the vehicle sustained minor injuries and was treated at a local hospital. Charges of criminal mischief against her and another demonstrator were dropped by the Manhattan district attorney, while the developer was released from custody pending trial.
The developer, who resides in the Manhattan neighborhood where the protest occurred, is distantly related to Rabbi Meir Kahane, the founder of the Jewish Defense League. However, he denied any affiliation with the group and emphasized his stance as being 'pro-peace.'
According to police, the arrest stemmed from a verbal dispute that escalated during the demonstration. Witnesses reported that the vehicle in question moved during the confrontation, but the developer is not accused of intentionally targeting a group of protesters.
Contradicting the police account, some students present at the scene claimed that the developer had initiated the altercation by heckling the protesters from inside his car. They stated that a safety marshal attempted to block the vehicle's path, resulting in her being pushed onto the car's hood before falling to the ground.
The incident occurred shortly after police intervened at Columbia University to disband a student-led protest encampment. In response, a student group associated with the demonstration labeled the altercation as another instance of what they described as 'anti-Palestinian violence.'
