Holly MatkinSt. Louis, MO – A rioter was dragged to his death by a FedEx semi-truck after a mob of people broke into the vehicle and threatened the driver with guns, cell phone footage showed.
The incident occurred near the intersection of O’Fallon Street and North Broadway shortly after 3 a.m. last Saturday, KMOV reported.
According to police, the 18-wheeler was forced to detour off of Interstate 70 because protesters were blocking the roadway.
The FedEx driver exited at North Broadway and was traveling towards Cass Avenue when he came upon a mob of rioters, KMOV reported.
As the truck approached, members of the crowd set a fire in the roadway and blocked another portion of the street with vehicles.
The mob then began climbing and banging on the semi-truck before they managed to break in and steal packages from inside.
“They f–king up these trucks – oh my God,” said a woman who recorded the incident on her cell phone.
According to police, two rioters climbed onto the passenger side running board and pointed guns at the driver, KMOV reported.
“Oh my God – he got a gun!” the woman yelled. “Oh s–t – wait the f–akin’ minute – hell no! Oh my God they got guns!”
The FedEx driver began sounding the horn as the crowd ran towards the back of the truck.
As he started driving forward, rioters swarmed around him and continued to jump on the vehicle.
A moment later, the woman recording the video realized that the truck was dragging a man.
Police said that the man had been standing between the two trailers of the semi-truck, in an area where it was impossible for the driver to see, KMOV reported.
As the armed rioters surrounded him, the driver feared for his life and sounded the horn as he tried to drive away, police said.
The rioters chased after the truck, but the driver had no idea someone was trapped on the converter dolly, NBC News reported.
The rioter was ultimately caught by the truck tire, dragging him to death.
“Our hearts go out to all those who are grieving the events of this week,” FedEx said in a statement, according to NBC News. “We are deeply saddened to learn of a tragic situation involving a demonstrator in St. Louis and one of our vehicles.”
“We offer our sincerest condolences to the family of the individual involved,” the company said. “There is no higher priority for FedEx than safety, and we are cooperating fully with the investigating authorities at this time.”