A self-described member of the Ku Klux Klan is facing hate crime charges after he allegedly drove his vehicle into a crowd of protesters i...
A self-described member of the Ku Klux Klan is facing hate crime charges after he allegedly drove his vehicle into a crowd of protesters in Virginia on Sunday.
Henry H. Rogers, 36, was allegedly driving recklessly down the median on Lakeside Avenue in Richmond in the vicinity of the protest, before he drove his pickup truck to the protesters, revved the engine and plowed into the group, according to authorities.
Virginia prosecutor said Monday she is investigating whether hate crimes charges are appropriate against Rogers, who reportedly described himself as the highest ranking member of the KKK in the state not to be incarcerated.
There were no reports of serious injuries from the incident that occurred around 6pm on Sunday.
Harry H. Rogers described himself as president of the KKK Virginia chapter. He was driving recklessly in the vicinity of the protest in Virginia Sunday, 'drove up to the protesters, revved the engine and drove into the group (right)
His girlfriend said he went to the BLM protest in Richmond to make sure no one damaged the statue of Confederate general A.P. Hill (pictured)
Rogers was arrested and charged with assault and battery, attempted malicious wounding and felony vandalism.
'The accused, by his own admission and by a cursory glance at social media, is an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan and a propagandist for Confederate ideology. We are investigating whether hate crimes charges are appropriate,' Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said in a statement.
One person was checked for injuries but no one was seriously hurt.
'While I am grateful that the victim's injuries do not appear to be serious, an attack on peaceful protesters is heinous and despicable and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law,' Henrico County Commonwealth´s Attorney Shannon Taylor said in a statement.
'We lived through this in Virginia in Charlottesville in 2017. I promise Henricoans that this egregious criminal act will not go unpunished. Hate has no place here under my watch.'
Rogers, of Hanover County, made an initial court appearance Monday morning where he agreed to accept a court-appointed attorney and was denied bond, Richmond TV station WTVR reported. He is due back in court in August.
People gather at the Robert E. Lee Monument, now covered by protest graffiti, in Richmond, Virginia on Sunday. Rogers' girlfriend said he took her son to the Black Lives Matter protest to keep watch over the A.P Hill monument under which the Confederate general is buried
The attorney listed for him in court records, George Townsend, did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
A woman who said she was Rogers' girlfriend and shares a home with him, said in an interview from their home that he went to make sure nobody defaced the A.P. Hill statue in the area.
His mission to protect the Confederate statue under which the general is buried, came after Virginia announced it would finally get rid of the General Robert E. Lee monument.
'He did not go there with violent tendencies,' the girlfriend, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of repercussions, told the Richmond Dispatch Times. The woman said she'd received death threats.
She claimed Rogers, also known as 'Skip', took her 14-year-old son with him to keep watch and alleged that a protester hit her son.
Paint and protest graffiti covers the Jefferson Davis Memorial in Richmond, Virginia, Sunday following a week of unrest in the US against police brutality and racism in policing. Jefferson Davis was the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War
'Someone reaches in the truck window and popped my son in the side of the face,' she said.
She said she knew because she was on the phone with Rogers and then her asked her: 'What do I do?'
The woman insists that after the alleged slap through the vehicle window: 'He tried to drive over a median to get my son out of danger.'
Rogers was seen at the 2017 Unite the Right rally where Heather Heyer was killed when a man rammed his vehicle into protesters. President Trump responded to the incident by saying there were 'very fine people on both sides'.
Rogers tried to disrupt Heyer's memorial two days later when showed up in KKK robes and a Confederate patches.