Woman arrested, charged in connection to anti-ICE protest where car drove through crowd

CHICAGO (WGN) — A woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a car that drove through a crowd of anti-ICE protestors nearly two weeks ago.

According to the Chicago Police Department, 30-year-old Dierdre Kemp was charged with one felony count each of aggressive reckless driving/bodily harm and aggravated fleeing/bodily injury, one misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license, and one citation each of operating an uninsured motor vehicle and involuntary committed obedience to police officers.

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Kemp turned herself in at the 1st District Chicago police station on South State Street on Thursday, June 19, where she was then placed under arrested and later charged.

On Tuesday, June 10, a large anti-ICE protest took place at Federal Plaza and later spread to city streets around the Loop. The crowd moved throughout the downtown streets, appearing to reach as far as DuSable Lake Shore Drive. The protests remained largely peaceful, until WGN TV News cameras captured a car driving through the crowd of marching protesters.

As this was happening, CPD said 66-year-old Heather Blair was standing in the roadway when she was struck by an unknown vehicle.

Blair later told WGN TV News she suffered a fracture to her arm, bruising to her ribs and damage to her teeth. She was taken to Northwestern Hospital where she was treated and released early the next morning.

“Because it was accelerating and not just driving at a steady pace or a slow pace, I thought this is an attack,” Blair said.

Kemp had two battery charges on her record before she was arrested and charged in connection to the anti-ICE protest incident—one for domestic battery in December 2014, and another for battery – physical contact on April 28, 2025.