Man accused of driving toward crowd, shooting protester pleads not guilty

SEATTLE — The man accused of shooting a protester after driving his car toward a crowd on Seattle’s Capitol Hill pleaded not guilty Wednesday.

Nikolas Fernandez is charged with first-degree assault.

Seattle police said a video from June 7 shows Fernandez speeding in his car toward a crowd of protesters.

As Fernandez approached a makeshift barricade, with people yelling at him to stop, protester Dan Gregory reached through the open window, grabbed the steering wheel and punched the driver.

“There was one goal, and one goal only, to stop that car,” Gregory said last month.

Investigators said Fernandez used the Glock 26 on his passenger seat to shoot Gregory in the shoulder.

According to charging papers, Fernandez later told officers he might have pointed the gun at other people before he ran into the police line to surrender.

“This was an issue of self-defense,” said Fernandez’s attorney, Michelle Scudder.

Fernandez is out on bail.

He did not speak to KIRO 7, nor did the many people who attended court to support him.

But Scudder said at the time of the shooting, Fernandez was afraid for his life.

“This was not politically motivated. He has no issue with the protesters,” Scudder said.

Scudder did not detail what happened but said the facts would be presented in court.

Cox Media Group