SOUTH BEND, Ind. — A northern Indiana physician has been convicted of criminal recklessness for driving through a crowd of people on a bridge in 2020 as they were protesting racial injustice.
A St. Joseph County jury deliberated for about three hours Thursday before finding Glenn Wheet guilty of the felony charge, the South Bend Tribune reported.
Prosecutors argued Wheet caused a substantial risk of injury by knowingly driving over traffic cones set up by police and into the crowd at slow speed on July 4, 2020, in Mishawaka during a protest that followed the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
Prosecutors said Wheet initially drove his SUV away from the bridge, but then returned.
Multiple videos of the incident that were played in court show protesters shouting and rushing toward Wheet's SUV, which drives over a traffic cone and into the crowd.
Some demonstrators begin hitting the vehicle as others stand in front of it or push against it. As the SUV clears through the crowd, it accelerates, dragging a man who testified he was hanging onto its side mirror.
Wheet testified that he was "under attack" by protesters who "swarmed" his car.
He and his attorney did not speak to reporters after the verdict.
Wheet, who is a family physician in Mishawaka, could face jail time when he is sentenced April 13. But Indiana law allows certain low-level felony convictions to be treated as misdemeanors.
-
Noblesville nonprofit building affordable housing for vulnerable adults
A Noblesville nonprofit is transforming six unsafe properties into affordable housing, specifically designed for people facing serious mental health challenges.
FBI disrupts 'ISIS-inspired' plot by juvenile at Indiana high school
The FBI disrupted an ISIS-inspired plot targeting a central Indiana high school, according to the agency's 2025 annual report highlighting significant increases in arrests and public safety impacts.
Congressman Jim Baird and his wife recovering after car accident
U.S. Representative Jim Baird is hospitalized after a car accident and expected to make a full recovery, according to a statement from his office.
Fire cadet programs ignite career paths for Indiana teens
Fire cadet programs across central Indiana are helping students discover meaningful careers in public service by providing early training, mentorship and life-saving skills.
