Warrant Issued for Man Accused of Driving Toward Protesters

September 22, 2020

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — An arrest warrant has been issued for a man accused of driving a pickup truck toward a group of people demonstrating against racism and police brutality in Virginia after he failed to show up for his trial a second time.

Virginia Beach General District Court Judge Sandra Menago issued the warrant on Tuesday for Emanuel “Manny” Wilder, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

The judge also added another failure to appear charge to the five misdemeanor counts Wilder is facing, which includes reckless driving, abusive language, disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct and failure to appear.

Wilder, 20, is accused of driving toward the protesters near the Oceanfront boardwalk area in Virginia Beach on May 31 as they protested against the police custody death of George Floyd earlier that month in Minneapolis, news outlets reported at the time.

It was not immediately clear if Wilder had an attorney who could comment.

A local Black Lives Matter chapter, which organized the march, posted videos of the incident on social media and called for police to arrest the driver, news outlets said. Wilder was then charged in late June and released pending trial. There were no reports of any injuries.

A warrant was issued for Wilder’s arrest after he missed a court appearance in July but it was withdrawn when he arrived at the court an hour later, the newspaper reported. Another judge added a failure to appear charge after Wilder’s late appearance in July and rescheduled his trial for September, The Virginian-Pilot reported.