Car that went into crowd had Ohio plates; violence cancels WSU game

Ohio officials condemn “hatred” and “bigotry”

The violent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., caused the cancellation of a local university’s soccer game and had Ohio officials condemning hatred and violence.

Meanwhile, photos of the gray 2010 Dodge Challenger that reportedly plowed into people show an Ohio license plate — GVF 1111. The plate shows a county code of 48 in the bottom left, which corresponds to Lucas County in northwest Ohio.

RELATED: 1 dead, 19 injured, in Charlottesville

The driver has been taken into custody, according to Virginia state officials.

The Wright State men’s soccer team left Charlottesville on Saturday after its exhibition game with the University of Virginia was canceled.

WSU’s 1 p.m. game was canceled and the team boarded its bus at noon. The Raiders planned to have an intrasquad practice Saturday night at its campus.

“I do not want the violence to be the lasting memory they have from this day,” WSU men’s soccer team coach Bryan Davis said.

The team ended their morning practice at 9 a.m. before any of the major protests began.

RELATED: Wright State men’s soccer team back from Charlottesville

The University of Virginia issued the following statement on their website:

“Due to the ongoing public safety concerns in downtown Charlottesville and as a result of both the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle declaring a local state of emergency, the University of Virginia is cancelling all scheduled events and programming today (Saturday) effective at noon.”

Besides canceling the soccer game, the school also postponed an event to meet the football team.

RELATED: State, local leaders condemn ‘hate’

On Saturday, local and Ohio officials took to Twitter to show their reaction to the “hatred” and “racism” on display.

Ohio Gov. John Kasich wrote, “Racism and violence have no place in America. All of us must condemn hate wherever it is found.”

Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley tweeted that Dayton stands with Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer and that city against “hate & supremacy.”

Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown tweeted, “Hatred and bigotry have no place in America. We must stand united against attempts to threaten and intimidate our friends and neighbors.”

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman wrote, “Hate and bigotry have no place in our society. #Charlottesville.”

News Center 7 reporter Sean Cudahy grew up in Charlottesville and worked a few blocks away from the park until late May.

“On a personal note, it’s pretty surreal to see such chaos and violence on the streets I walked every day on my way into work,” Cudahy said Saturday. “I saw members of the National Guard standing on the steps of the building I worked in just a couple months ago.”

Cudahy said Charlottesville has been at the center of discussion when it comes to race, memorials and public spaces since March 2016 when Vice Mayor Wes Bellamy kicked off an effort to have the statue removed.

“Watching video of the fights, and the car that crashed into the crowd, I recognize signs and businesses in the background as places I visited all the time,” Cudahy said. “We cover a lot as journalists, but it’s always a little different when the story strikes this close to home.”

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