A Flint man, who last year plowed his car into a group of United Auto Workers members on strike and then fled the scene, will not serve additional jail time after being sentenced this Monday. Malachi Hittle, 20, was handed down probation for what authorities described as a hit-and-run incident during a labor strike outside a General Motors facility in Swartz Creek, abc12 reported.
Hittle's sentence includes non-supervised probation, ending on Aug. 26, following his guilty plea for a single misdemeanor count of failing to stop at the scene of an injury accident, as per the decision by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge Mark W. Latchana, with an initial jail sentence of two days which he had already served, Hittle's actions that day in September left several GM workers with minor injuries however, police confirmed that Hittle himself was not a GM employee but was employed by a third-party cleaning company, MLive detailed.
In the courtroom, the more severe felony charge of assault with a dangerous weapon was dropped after Hittle's guilty plea to the lesser charge. He is now also obligated to cover court costs and fines and complete a mental health evaluation. The striking GM workers, who were protesting for better work conditions, faced an unexpected threat when Hittle accelerated his vehicle through their line.
The incident had raised concerns among labor rights advocates about the safety of striking workers, and the sentencing has drawn varied reactions among the public and those within the labor movement, some are questioning the leniency of the sentence given the potential consequences of Hittle's actions, which could have been far graver, considering the car was fashioned into a weapon that September morn – this could be the thought that nests in the heads of those left to picket another day.
