By News Editor 
21-year-old Alexa Carrasco remains hospitalized after being struck by an SUV driver who fled the scene during Saturday’s protest. The 21-year-old woman was critically injured Saturday night when an SUV driver intentionally rammed into protesters during a “No Kings Day” demonstration in downtown Riverside, California. The incident has sparked outrage and highlighted the dangerous confrontations occurring at anti-fascist protests across the nation. This comes in the midst of multiple right wing shootings, which appear to be a sort of distributed brown shirts style level of violence favoring the Trump administration.
Riverside Incident
The hit-and-run occurred at approximately 9:10 p.m. on June 14, 2025, on University Avenue between Main and Orange streets in downtown Riverside. Alexa Carrasco was peacefully protesting with her relatives when a speeding black SUV drove around the march and struck her before fleeing the scene, according to police and witnesses.
Video footage of the incident shows protesters approaching the black SUV, with one demonstrator bumping into the left taillight and another smashing it with an object. The driver then quickly turned into the crowd and ran over Carrasco before speeding away as protesters chased after the vehicle.
Alexa’s Condition
Carrasco sustained severe, life-threatening injuries in the attack. The collision cracked her rib, punctured her lung, broke her leg and caused severe skull injuries. She was placed in a medically induced coma while preparing for her second surgery.
She was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition in the ICU with life-threatening injuries. Friends described her recovery as likely to be “long and incredibly difficult.”
“Just seeing her like this is just terrible,” said her friend Yecenia Ramirez. “It’s really hard to see her like this.”
Who is Alexa Carrasco?
Alexa is described by friends as “loving, outgoing, and full of life” and “the kind of person who always shows up for others”. She had just celebrated her 21st birthday last month with friends. According to her friend Minor Garcia, “It was just a 21-year-old girl protesting for their family, for human, basic rights”. Friends emphasized that she was exercising her constitutional right to peaceful protest and was proud to be using her voice for causes she believed in.
The “No Kings Day” & SoCal Protests
The “No Kings” protests were a series of demonstrations that took place on June 14, 2025, against Donald Trump’s policies and actions during his second presidency, including his purported fascist tendencies and associated democratic backsliding in the United States. The protests took place on the same day as the U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade and Trump’s 79th birthday.
Organizers estimated that more than five million people participated in more than 2,100 cities and towns, making it the second-largest single-day protest in U.S. history. In Riverside specifically, thousands had participated in the demonstration, though the crowd had shrunk to hundreds by the time of the incident.
The Riverside Police Department is investigating the incident as a felony hit-and-run and is actively searching for the driver. Police spokesman Ryan Railsback stated, “We’d like that driver to contact us. We’d like to know their side of the story. They did flee the scene, and someone got seriously injured, but we want to talk to them and figure out their side”.
Investigators are reviewing multiple videos of the incident, some of which were taken and posted on social media by demonstrators who were present. Witness accounts suggest the driver was provoking protesters before the collision.