Black Lives Matter: Driver charged after crashing into New York protest

A driver who ploughed into a crowd of 50 protesters in New York City on Friday has been charged with reckless endangerment, the city's police department says.

Six people at the Black Lives Matter racial justice protest in Manhattan were hit by the vehicle.

A number were taken to hospital though none of the injuries were life-threatening, police said.

The woman driving was detained and questioned by police.

"After the initial investigation with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, the operator of the vehicle has been charged with reckless endangerment," the New York City police department tweeted on Saturday.

Video from the scene in the busy area of the city showed pedestrians approaching a black vehicle, some carrying placards.

The vehicle then accelerated, crashing into a number of people and sending a bicycle flying through the air as people screamed.

Several people were shown on the ground in the aftermath.

The protest organised by the Black Lives Matter group was to draw attention an hunger strike by immigration detainees in New Jersey.

The incident resembled recent confrontations in which cars were driven at protesters in the US.

In September a driver drove through a crowd of Black Lives Matter demonstrators in New York City, but no-one was left injured.