One person hurt as two vehicles drive thru Breonna Taylor protest in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES - A second night of protests in Hollywood over the shooting death of Breonna Taylor and the grand jury's refusal to indict any of the Louisville Metropolitan police officers directly for the killing turned violent, and two vehicles plowed through clusters of protesters on Sunset Boulevard, injuring at least one person.

A demonstrator holding a sign was struck by a black SUV, knocked to the ground and later hospitalized for treatment of injuries, according to reports from the scene. That person's gender and current condition were unknown.

A protestor who was run over by a car is attended too as paramedics arrive on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood Thursday. A car broke through the protest group and sped off. (Los Angeles Times/Wally Skalij) (Getty Images)

"We got the call about the downed protester just before 9 p.m. (Thursday) and dispatched paramedics to the scene," said Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange.

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The SUV that hit the demonstrator was driven from the scene but was stopped, temporarily detained by police, then released. There was no immediate word from police as to why the driver was released.

About a half-hour later, images from SkyFOX showed a large crowd gathered near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Seward Street. It appears a white Prius drove through the area of protesters,  hitting several people, according to the LAPD. That driver proceeded until the vehicle was boxed in by a truck and a car and people from the truck began pounding on the car's windows.

A black truck and a green convertible could be seen following the Prius and attempting to fight with the driver. Images showed people throwing bikes and skateboards at the vehicle. The Prius then backed up, hit the convertible then left the area. 

The driver eventually got away and sped from the scene. Police were searching for that driver.

The protest began at 7 p.m. and by 7:30 p.m., at least 200 people gathered outside the entrance to the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Vehicles could be heard driving by the protest honking in support, and a series of speakers addressed the crowd.

Demonstrators chanted "Black lives they matter here'' and vehicles could be heard driving by the protest honking in support, as a series of speakers addressed the crowd.

After the rally, demonstrators marched through Hollywood accompanied by multiple vehicles, some with signs that said "Defund. Abolish.'' and "Defund police, invest in community."

Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical worker, was fatally shot in her apartment early on March 13 by officers executing a no-knock search warrant, according to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Breonna Taylor

Sgt. Jonathan Mattingly and Detectives Brett Hankison and Myles Cosgrove were advised by superiors to knock and announce their presence in serving this specific search warrant, Cameron said. Evidence from the Special Prosecution Unit's investigation shows that officers both knocked and announced their presence at the apartment.

The officers' statements about their announcement were corroborated by an independent witness who was near Taylor's apartment, Cameron said.

When officers were unable to get anyone to answer or open the door to the apartment, the decision was made to breach the door. Mattingly was the only officer to enter the residence, Cameron said.

Mattingly saw two individuals standing beside one another at the end of the hall, a male and female. Mattingly said the male was holding a gun, arms extended, in a shooting stance, Cameron said.

Mattingly saw the man's gun being fired and immediately felt heat in his upper thigh as a result of a gunshot wound, Cameron said, adding thatt Kenneth Walker, Taylor's boyfriend, fired the shot that hit Mattingly.

Walker admitted firing one shot and was the first to shoot, Cameron said.

Mattingly returned fire down the hallway, firing six shots. Almost simultaneously, Cosgrove, also in the doorway area, shot 16 times, all in a matter of seconds, Cameron said.

Hankison fired his weapon 10 times, including from outside a sliding glass door and through a bedroom window, Cameron said.

Some bullets traveled through apartment 4 and into apartment 3 before someone exited that apartment. At the time, three residents of apartment 3 were at home, including a man, a pregnant woman and a child, Cameron said.

The investigation found that Mattingly and Cosgrove were justified in their use of force after having been fired upon by Walker, Cameron said.

Hankison was indicted by a Jefferson County grand jury on three counts of wanton endangerment over the shots fired into a neighboring apartment, a Class D felony. Mattingly and Cosgrove were not charged.

Hankison was fired by the LMPD on June 23, 2020.

The warrant used to search Taylor's home was connected to a suspect who did not live there, and no drugs were found inside. After the killing, Louisville city council members voted unanimously to pass "Breonna's Law," which banned "no-knock" warrants

"Breonna Taylor was sleeping when police raided her apartment and killed her," Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, tweeted Thursday. "She deserves justice. Breonna -- and all Black Americans -- deserve a system of policing that prioritizes justice and dignity over fear and bigotry, so a tragedy like this never happens again."

Taylor's family received a $12 million settlement payment from Louisville.

CNS contributed to this report.