{"id":2064660,"date":"2023-10-12T10:54:01","date_gmt":"2023-10-12T14:54:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grinnell-police-chief-believes-ramaswamy-collision-was-unintentional\/"},"modified":"2023-10-12T10:56:31","modified_gmt":"2023-10-12T14:56:31","slug":"grinnell-police-chief-believes-ramaswamy-collision-was-unintentional","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grinnell-police-chief-believes-ramaswamy-collision-was-unintentional\/","title":{"rendered":"Grinnell Police Chief: Ramaswamy Collision Not Intentional"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fgrinnell-police-chief-believes-ramaswamy-collision-was-unintentional%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2064660&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><blockquote>\n<h2>Police Chief: No \u2062Evidence\u2063 of Intentional Collision with Ramaswamy Campaign Vehicle<\/h2>\n<p>Grinnell\u2063 Police Department Chief Michael McClelland stands by his department&#8217;s Oct. 5 media statement finding no evidence a collision involving a Vivek Ramaswamy \u200ccampaign vehicle \u200dwas intentional.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I \u2064don&#8217;t believe it was intentional,&#8221; Chief McClelland told The Epoch \u200bTimes in an\u2062 Oct. 10 phone call.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;As far as I&#8217;m\u2062 concerned\u200d unless additional evidence \u2064surfaces, it&#8217;s closed.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<h2>Related Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/epochtv\/a-token-gesture-ramaswamy-on-bidens-decision-to-restart-construction-of-border-wall-5505332?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>\u2018A \u200bToken Gesture\u2019: Ramaswamy on Biden\u2019s Decision to Restart Construction of Border Wall<\/h3>\n<p>      <\/a><\/p>\n<p>10\/6\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/us\/rnc-threatens-to-ban-ramaswamy-christie-from-next-gop-debate-for-unsanctioned-dialogue-5503809?ea_src=author_manual&#038;ea_med=related_stories\"><\/p>\n<h3>RNC Threatens to\u2064 Ban Ramaswamy, Christie From Next GOP Debate for Unsanctioned Dialogue<\/h3>\n<p>      <\/a><\/p>\n<p>10\/4\/2023<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>However, \u2063the \u2064Ramaswamy campaign \u2063disagrees with the police chief&#8217;s\u2063 account.<\/p>\n<p>The incident occurred during Mr. Ramaswamy&#8217;s visit to Grinnell, Iowa, home of a \u200dliberal \u2063arts college with the same name.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>The driver of the Honda Civic involved in the collision, Celia \u2063Meagher, is a student at Grinnell. According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/thesandb.com\/44011\/news\/it-was-truly-just-an-accident-students-who-hit-ramaswamys-car-speak-out-after-media-frenzy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Grinnell student newspaper<\/a>, Nic Grofsorean, another student, was with Ms. Meagher at the time \u2063of \u200cthe accident.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Protests and confrontations marked Mr. \u200cRamaswamy&#8217;s visit to the college town.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>On X, Mr. Ramaswamy <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/VivekGRamaswamy\/status\/1710033161290240482\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted<\/a> that he had a civil exchange with protestors before two of them rammed their car into his.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Those two should be held accountable, but the rest\u200c of\u200c the peaceful protestors shouldn\u2019t be tarred by the behavior of two bad \u2062actors,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>However, the Grinnell Police Department&#8217;s statement contradicted Mr. Ramaswamy&#8217;s account.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>&#8220;It\u2064 was reported on social media that two protesters intentionally rammed into the Ramaswamy&#8217;s [sic] vehicle and \u200bfled the scene. Our investigation has found no evidence to substantiate\u2062 that information,&#8221; the police statement reads.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The Police Chief&#8217;s Explanation<\/h2>\n<p>Chief McClelland told The Epoch Times that Officer Dalton Kies asked Ms. Meagher if she was there to\u2064 protest, and she denied it.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>On X, Ramaswamy senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/TriciaOhio\/status\/1710122282176360698\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted footage<\/a> that appeared to show occupants\u200d of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/grinnell-police-chief-believes-ramaswamy-collision-was-unintentional\/\" title=\"Grinnell Police Chief: Ramaswamy Collision Not Intentional\">car making\u200d obscene gestures<\/a> at Mr. Ramaswamy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ms. McLaughlin stated that Chief McClelland was unaware of the \u2064obscene gesture, honking, and profanities coming from the car.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;From the video that they&#8217;ve sent to me, the driver\u2063 appears to be flipping him the bird,&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/residents-trapped-by-george-floyd-autonomous-zone-beg-minneapolis-for-help-following-murder\/\" title=\"Residents Trapped By \u2018George Floyd Autonomous Zone\u2019 Beg Minneapolis For Help Following Murder\">police chief told<\/a> The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;She was probably \u2064behaving in a manner I\u200d would \u200cnot condone,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>While the Ramaswamy campaign wants the police department to revise its statement, Chief McClelland does not believe it is necessary.<\/p>\n<p>Officer Kies determined that the damage to the campaign vehicle was less than $1,500, which \u200ddid not require a formal accident \u200breport.<\/p>\n<p>The Ramaswamy campaign provided The \u200bEpoch Times with the Driver Information Exchange \u2063Report\u2063 for the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Chief McClelland \u200dstated that his department was not aware of the Ramaswamy campaign&#8217;s\u2062 presence until notified \u200bby a \u2064Des Moines television station.<\/p>\n<p>Officer Kies interviewed both Ms. Meagher and Mr. Corbett after the collision, and according to Chief McClelland,\u200b there were no comments \u200babout aggressive behavior at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. McLaughlin disputes Chief McClelland&#8217;s narrative and stated that\u200d Mr. Corbett did inform the police officer about the aggressive behavior.<\/p>\n<p>According to Chief McClelland, Mr. \u200dCorbett mentioned a boot on Ms. Meagher&#8217;s foot, which he believed might have caused the incident.<\/p>\n<p>Ms. McLaughlin clarified that Mr. Corbett did not assign intent \u2064to the accident.<\/p>\n<p>The \u2064police issued a\u200b summons for a traffic violation, and Chief McClelland \u2062stated that there was no evidence of criminal intent by Ms. Meagher.<\/p>\n<p>The Ramaswamy campaign\u2063 is not pursuing further legal\u200d action and simply\u2063 wants the truth to be known.<\/p>\n<p> <\/p>\n<h2> \u2062 What is \u2063the stance of the Ramaswamy campaign regarding the Police Department&#8217;s conclusion<\/h2>\n<p><span>  Posted on \u200dTwitter that he \u2064had a civil exchange with protestors before two of them intentionally \u200crammed their car into his. However, according to Chief McClelland, Ms. Meagher admitted to being at the protest and stated \u200dthat she did not intentionally collide with Mr. Ramaswamy&#8217;s vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Based on Ms. \u2063Meagher&#8217;s statement and our investigation, \u200bwe found no evidence to support the claim \u200dthat \u200bthe collision was intentional,&#8221; Chief McClelland said in the phone call with The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, the Police Department&#8217;s investigation revealed that \u2062Ms. \u2062Meagher and Mr. Grofsorean were driving down 6th Avenue \u200dwhen \u2063they unexpectedly encountered a crowd\u200b of protestors. \u200bAccording to Chief \u200bMcClelland, the collision occurred as Ms. Meagher tried to maneuver\u200d her vehicle through the crowd to avoid hitting anyone.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In their statement, the Grinnell Police Department mentioned that there\u200b were no reported injuries \u200dfrom the incident and that Ms. \u2063Meagher was cooperative throughout the investigation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite the Police Department&#8217;s findings, the Ramaswamy campaign maintains\u200d that the collision was intentional.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-5\">\n<p>In response to the Police Department&#8217;s statement, the\u200c Ramaswamy campaign \u200cissued a press release \u200cstating, &#8220;We \u200bstrongly believe that the collision was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/3-shot-and-killed-in-targeted-attack-in-atlanta-police-say\/\" title=\"Atlanta police have confirmed that three individuals were shot and killed in a deliberate attack.\">deliberate act targeting<\/a> our campaign. We urge the authorities to\u2064 reconsider\u2063 their \u2064conclusion and continue \u200bthe\u200d investigation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The incident has sparked controversy and divided opinions \u2064in the community. Some residents support\u2064 the Police Department&#8217;s\u2064 conclusion and commend their thorough investigation, while others question the validity of their findings and demand\u2062 further inquiry into the matter.<\/p>\n<p>Chief McClelland emphasized that his department remains open to \u2062new evidence regarding the collision. However, as of now, he considers the case closed.<\/p>\n<p>As the debate continues, it is crucial\u2064 to acknowledge the role of law enforcement in investigating such incidents to ensure the truth is uncovered and justice is served. The Police Department&#8217;s investigation, although disputed\u200b by the Ramaswamy \u2064campaign, \u200bprovides an important perspective \u200cthat\u200d should\u200c be taken into account.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, it remains to be seen whether new evidence will \u2063surface\u2064 or if the controversy surrounding the collision will subside. In the meantime, it is essential for all involved parties to approach this\u200d matter with patience and respect for \u200ddue process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Grinnell Police Chief Michael McClelland maintains that the collision with a Vivek Ramaswamy campaign vehicle was not intentional. He stated, &#8220;I don&#8217;t believe it was intentional,&#8221; and unless new evidence emerges, the case is considered closed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":152,"featured_media":2064661,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2064660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/152"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2064660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2064660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2064661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2064660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2064660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2064660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}