Bakersfield Man Who Ran Over & Killed Peaceful Protester Speaks Out

Source: Scott Olson / Getty

This past Saturday, a black man, Robert Forbes was struck and killed in Bakersfield, California while peacefully protesting. According to the GoFundMe page, Robert was a part of a group of around 100 people who were walking in the westbound lanes of California Avenue with vehicles following behind them. However, police say traffic was flowing as normal on the 45 MPH road and when Forbes crossed the street, he was hit. Witnesses say the car was going between 30 and 50mph.

The outrage began after protesters chased the car and once the man was stopped, he wasn’t even placed in handcuffs for his actions.

The video went instantly viral on social media, causing outrage as the suspect stood behind police calm, relaxed, and smoking a cigarette, unbothered by what had just occurred. Cops initially stated that the incident happened because Robert was in the roadway, but after the backlash, police have now said the investigation is still open.

After a few days of public backlash, the driver, Keith Moore, in a since-deleted Facebook post, spoke up about the accident. In his post, he brings up Robert’s criminal past, in which he was acquitted, after claiming he didn’t see the protesters. Keep in mind, the group was 100+ people.

The investigation is still open.