CENTRAL FALLS, RI. (THECOUNT) — Thomas Woodworth has been identified as the correctional officer at Central Falls, RI’s Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility who drove his pickup truck striking anti-ICE protesters during a Rhode Island federal prison protest.
Woodworth, 53, injured two protesters after driving his truck in an area where they were assembling. He has since been placed on leave amid an investigation into his actions.
|
Advertisement |
According to Heavy, the incident occurred during a protest against the Trump administration’s immigration policies led by the Jewish group Never Again Action.
Woodworth, a captain at the privately run facility, injured two individuals with his truck and three others were hospitalized from injuries suffered in the aftermath.
Protesters were rammed at the entrance to the prison in Central Falls, Rhode Island, Never Again Action organizers say. Correctional officers used pepper spray on the protesters after they were hit by the truck, video shows.
The privately run facility is located at, 950 High St, in Central Falls, RI.
The protest is one of many being held by Never Again Action around the country. It began about 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 14, at Jenks Park in Central Falls, as protesters gathered and marched to the Wyatt Detention Facility, the Providence Journal reports. The peaceful protest turned violent about 9:50 p.m. when Woodworth drove his pickup truck into protesters blocking a parking lot at the entrance to the prison’s employee parking lot.
No protesters were arrested. About 600 protesters took part in the gathering, with about 30 blocking the entrance to the parking lot, the Boston Herald reports. The Never Again Action group has used #JewsAgainstICE as they’ve led dozens of protests at ICE facilities around the country, demanding better treatment of detainees and for immigration policies to be changed.
Read more on Heavy.
Geo quick facts: Central Falls is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 19,376 at the 2010 census. With an area of only 1.29 square miles, it is the smallest and most densely populated city in the smallest state, and the 27th most densely populated incorporated place in the United States – Wikipedia.