UW Madison investigating alleged confrontation between university employee and protesters

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - The University of Wisconsin is investigating after an Instagram post shared by @bipocatwisco alleged that a university employee attempted to run over protesters near Madison’s Capitol on Friday.

@bipocatwisco, an Instagram account dedicated to sharing the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color on campus, posted a video Saturday showing a confrontation between a man on a motorcycle and four protesters.

The Instagram account identifies the motorcyclist as a university employee.

View this post on Instagram

TW: VIOLENCE, RACISM • Yesterday at the capitol a Trump supporter ran over 4 protestors with his motorcycle. • As these protestors were using their cars to prevent fellow protestors from being run over this man decided to maneuver his motorcycle between their cars. In response to this the protestors used their bodies to block him until he eventually ran them over. • We wanted to get the word out especially since this violent individual is affiliated with the university. • This man is named Rich Yaeger. I am not naming him to have others attack him, I name him because he is in a position of leadership at a power plant on the UW campus. A man that is willing to run through protestors should not have access or a position of leadership in any situation ESPECIALLY one where he may interact with other BIPOC folx. If you’d like to contact the UW to voice your concerns for his actions, you can do so here: https://physicalplant.wisc.edu/contact-us/ • Lastly, please just stay safe y’all!! • #bipocatwisco

A post shared by BIPOC at Wisco (@bipocatwisco) on Nov 7, 2020 at 9:21am PST

A university spokesperson said they are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action once the investigation is complete. Until then, UW will offer no further comments.