8 people hit by pickup at Fight for $15 rally in Flint

FLINT, Mich. (WJBK) - A crowd of people were hurt Tuesday morning when a car ran into them as they were gathered at a Fight for $15 rally in Flint.

Rev. W.J. Rideout, an organizer of the Fight for $15 rallies, was at the protest and says eight people were taken to the hospital. He says seven of them have already been released, and are heading to Detroit's planned protest later this afternoon. The remaining person in the hospital is undergoing tests but is said to have non-life threatening injuries. 

NBC25/FOX66 reports the crowd was gathered outside of McDonald's near Dort Highway and Lapeer Road when the accident happened. The crowd was hit by a pickup truck, which was later hit by a utility truck. It was dark at the time of the crash.

Police Chief Tim Johnson says he doesn't believe the crash was intentional and that the driver "seemed pretty shaken up." The driver is in custody right now talking with authorities. 

Fight for $15 rallies were planned in both Flint and Detroit Tuesday, with plans for fast food workers to walk off the job. Rallies are planned in other cities across the country later this week, including Wednesday in Milwaukee and Thursday in Chicago. The rally in Detroit was planned for 1 p.m. at Wayne State University.

Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, who's running for governor in Michigan, was joining the striking cooks and cashiers Tuesday morning in Flint. She tweeted Tuesday morning that she was "incredibly sad that so many people were hurt."

Workers are seeking union rights for fast-food restaurants, airports, downtown businesses, hospitals, in-home care and child care.

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report