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Kalamu ya Salaam's information blog

 

Wednesday, Aug 16th 2017

 

 

‘He saved me, then

he was under the car’


EXCLUSIVE: ‘He saved me, then he was under the car’:
Heroic moment man pushes fiancee out of the path of
white supremacist’s car at Charlottesville rally,
breaking his leg – as bride-to-be pays tribute to friend
who died

  • Marcus Martin was a counter-protester at the Charlottesville rally on Saturday 
  • He pushed his fiancee Marissa Blair out of the way when a Dodge Challenger rammed into the crowd 
  • A photograph captured Martin seconds after he saved the life of Blair, flying through the air after he was hit 
  • Martin sustained a broken leg in the horrifying incident and is in the hospital 
  • Blair happened to be live-streaming the event when Martin was hit 
  • She later revealed Heather Heyer was her friend who died in the crash 
  • The two worked at the same law firm in Virginia, for the past three years  

 

 

A man was photographed seconds after he heroically pushed his fiancée out of the way of a white supremacist’s car in Charlottesville Saturday.

Marcus Martin, 26, was a counter-protester at the tragic day’s events, marching the streets with his fiancée Marissa Blair, 27, and their friends.

When a Dodge Challenger suddenly rammed into the crowd, Martin didn’t hesitate to push his bride-to-be out of the way, resulting in him being hit by the accelerating vehicle.

Martin was photographed in mid-air seconds after he saved Blair’s life, and other photos reveal that when the car backed up over him, his shoe was dragged off.

Amazingly, Martin survived the ‘intentional’ car crash but sustained a broken leg in the horrific incident, as Blair live-streamed the entire event on Facebook.

Speaking exclusively to the DailyMail.com, Blair revealed the moment Martin pushed her out of the way, saying: ‘He saved me then he was under the car.’

Marcus Martin, of Lovingston, Virginia, was a counter-protester in Charlottesville, Virginia on Saturday. He heroically saved his fiancee’s life when he pushed her out of the way of a speeding Dodge Challenger and was photographed, flying through the air (pictured)

Martin was marching through the streets with his fiancee Marissa Blair and their friends. He survived the 'intentional' car smash but sustained a broken leg in the horrific incident

Pictured: Martin before the accident with Blair


Moments before Martin was struck, Blair said they had been walking through the streets, chanting and laughing.

She added to the DailyMail.com: ‘We were saying, “Whose streets? Our streets!” and just having a good time. We were right at the intersection, deciding to go right or left. We went left.

‘We hear a commotion from the top of the street. It happened so fast. I felt myself shoved out of the way. [Martin] had pushed me out of the way.

‘It was so fast. All he could think was to push me. He saved me then he was under the car. I checked myself and then immediately thought, where’s Marcus? 

‘I started looking where the car had hit people. I saw his hat had blood all over it but he wasn’t there. I found him with no blood on him.

‘We were taken to the hospital and I overheard someone say that the heavyset woman who they were doing CPR on had died. 

‘I started asking around but I knew that it was my friend Heather. She had been standing right in front of Marcus.’ 

Blair continued: ‘It was senseless. People said we were wrong for being there but it was that guy [driver] who was wrong. Why would anyone think that it’s okay to do this? He rammed into us.’ 

Blair wrote on Facebook: ‘A car intentionally ran through a crowd of peaceful counter protesters. This is right when it happened. My fiancé pushed me out the way. He got hit, his leg is broke. We’re alive’

Blair said she attended the Charlottesville rally in protest of the alt-right groups that were gathered there.

She said she drove the 50 minutes from Lovingston, Virginia, with Martin and Heather Heyer, 32, who was killed in the ‘senseless’ car crash.

Heyer’s family set up a GoFundMe page for her, with her mother writing: ‘She died doing what was right. My heart is broken, but I am forever proud of her.’

Blair added: ‘I’m still numb. My friend is dead. Heather was with us because this is what Heather believed in. She died standing up for what she believed in.

‘We had been witnessing everything that was going on. We’ve been here for it. 

‘We couldn’t have hate groups walking around our city with no peaceful opposition.

‘We knew the risk we were taking. But we said they aren’t going to do this anymore.’

The woman who was mowed down and killed at an anti-fascist rally in Virginia has been identified as Heather Heyer
The woman who was mowed down and killed at
an anti-fascist rally in Virginia has been identified
as Heather Heyer, 32 (above)


Blair had live-streamed to Facebook the moment James Alex Fields Jr allegedly drove through a line of innocent counter-protesters.

She later informed her Facebook followers that she and Martin were safe following the tragic events.

The video shows people screaming ‘look out’ and a commotion ensues.

Blair is shoved away from the street and onto the sidewalk. The videos shakes while the crowd runs for safety.

Blair realizes that Martin isn’t with her and begins screaming out his name, trying to find him. In a panic, she says to a friend, ‘Where is he, Marcus?’

Blair begins moving through the throngs of injured people, looking for Martin when the video suddenly cuts off.

She returned to Facebook to post an update later that day. She wrote: ‘A car intentionally ran through a crowd of peaceful counter protesters. This is right when it happened.’ 

Martin's shoe was dragged off when the Challenger backed up over him again
Martin's shoe was dragged off when the Challenger backed up over him again
Martin’s shoe was dragged off when the
Challenger backed up over him again (above)


Blair continued: ‘My fiancé pushed me out the way. He got hit, his leg is broke. We’re alive. I lost a good friend today. 

‘Everyone has an opinion, but we were out there spreading love and not allowing hate groups to terrorize our city! Our country!! 

‘The only person is wrong is the person behind that wheel. Feel what you do, but spread LOVE today. Spread LOVE everyday. Promote LOVE. Send LOVE out to the universe.’ 

The couple got engaged in February after dating a little more than a year.

Blair also shared that it was her friend, Heyer who died
after the alleged ‘intentional’ act by Fields, who is from
Maumee, Ohio.

The couple got engaged in February after dating a little more than a year, according to their Facebook profiles

The couple got engaged in February after dating a little more than a year, according to their Facebook profiles.

Martin didn’t hesitate to push his bride-to-be out of the way, resulting in him being hit by the accelerating vehicle.

Blair added: ‘I lost one of my good friends today, killed for peacefully standing up for what she believed in. Rest In Peace you sweet sweet soul.’

Heyer had worked with Blair at the Miller Law Group PC in Virginia for the past three years.

Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas Jr. told reporters Heyer was killed while crossing the street after Fields Jr plowed his Dodge Challenger into the protesters.

Despite the efforts of those on the scene to revive her, she died.  

Video of the Dodge Challenger, which is registered to Fields, showed the driver accelerating into the crowd, throwing bodies into the air as people scream, before reversing at high speed. 

Fields was charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding and failing to stop at the scene of a crash that resulted in a death, according to police.

James Alex Fields Jr, of Maumee, Ohio, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly drove his vehicle into a crowd of anti-fascists at white nationalist rally, killing Heyer and injuring 19

James Alex Fields Jr, of Maumee, Ohio, was arrested on Saturday after he allegedly drove his vehicle into a crowd of anti-fascists at white nationalist rally, killing Heyer and injuring 19.

Video of the Dodge Challenger, which is registered to Fields, showed the driver accelerating into the crowd throwing bodies into the air as people scream before reversing at high speed

The deadly crash came after violent clashes erupted as hundreds of white supremacists including armed militias marched into Charlottesville.

Police cleared the scene with tear gas but the violence continued. Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said a total of 35 people had been treated for injuries, 14 of those were from individual engagements on the streets. 

Horrifying video from the scene of the car attack showed the silver muscle car speeding towards a group of fleeing anti-fascist counter-protesters.

Another clip showed the vehicle ramming into the crowd at high speed and victims crying out in pain as they desperately sought medical help.

Witnesses said the car was traveling up to 40mph when it hit and reversed before ramming into the crowd again and speeding off with Martin’s shoe attached to its bumper. 

Fields  was apprehended and is currently in police custody. He was arrested a few blocks away from the bloody scene

Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said a total of 35 people had been treated for injuries, 14 of those were from individual engagements on the streets

Charlottesville Police Chief Al Thomas said a total of 35 people had been treated for injuries, 14 of those were from individual engagements on the streets.

 

>via: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4786462/Man-pushes-fiancee-way-car-Charlottesville.html