The Washington PostDemocracy Dies in Darkness

Pro-Palestinian protests block roads near Capitol; driver accused of menacing crowd

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Updated March 7, 2024 at 9:31 p.m. EST|Published March 7, 2024 at 9:02 p.m. EST
Police arrest a man accused of revving his engine and driving toward protesters before the State of the Union address on Thursday. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)
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Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked roads near the White House and U.S. Capitol as President Biden was set to deliver the State of the Union address Thursday, and police arrested one man who allegedly revved his engine and headed toward one such crowd of demonstrators.

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The man stopped his car, a white Ford with Massachusetts license plates, at 16th and H streets NW at about 6 p.m. He was getting out when police forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. The man was heard screaming, “I’m only 18 years old! I’m only 18 years old!”

Dozens of protesters blocked Pennsylvania Avenue in Northwest Washington along Biden’s route on his way to delivering the address Thursday night.

At about 7:20 p.m., protesters marched into the intersection at Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourth Street NW and spread a banner across the street.

About two dozen demonstrators wearing black T-shirts that read “Biden’s legacy equals genocide” locked arms and held hands to form a chain to briefly block traffic. A second group of demonstrators sat down across Pennsylvania Avenue about a block away and unfurled a large green and white flag.

After two hours, the protesters began winding down their chants, songs and speeches.

Astrid Riecken contributed to this report.