Dashcam video shows a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper navigating around a protester in Memphis, Tennessee, who appeared to play possum in front of a patrol car, leading the agency to swat down viral claims the man was actually hit.

Video posted to social media by the Tennessee Highway Patrol shows the trooper trying to work his way around a group of protesters. A man who appeared to be one of the protesters walked into frame from behind a white SUV.

The man, wearing a bright orange construction vest and holding a handheld radio, raised his hands and stepped in front of the trooper.

The trooper can be heard on camera shouting, “Move! Get out of my way! Get out of my way! Move!”

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Instead, the protester shook his head and raised his index finger as if signaling the trooper to “hold on.”

The protester then grabbed the patrol vehicle’s push bars and fell backward, appearing to act as if he had been hit by the trooper’s vehicle.

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He then pulled himself up, raised his index finger at the trooper once more and walked back to his vehicle.

The video circulated on social media with claims the man was hit by a Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper, claims the agency called false.

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“We respect and protect the right of people to protest peacefully,” the Tennessee Highway Patrol said. “That right, however, does not include entering active roadways or placing themselves in danger.

“In this case, video clearly shows the individual holding onto the front of the trooper’s vehicle, lying down, then standing back up afterward and leaving the scene under his own power,” the statement continued. “At no point does the video show the individual being run over or injured, despite the narratives circulating on social media.”

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The agency added that its priority is public safety for protesters, motorists and troopers.

“When someone enters the roadway, it creates a serious and immediate risk, and troopers are trained to respond to prevent injuries or worse outcomes,” the agency added.

South Carolina Republican lawmakers have introduced a new bill that would criminalize abortion as murder, applying existing homicide and wrongful death laws from the moment of conception.

The Prenatal Equal Protection Act, introduced in the South Carolina House of Representatives, would be the strongest anti-abortion law in state history if enacted. The legislation has been scheduled for a hearing in the South Carolina House Constitutional Laws Subcommittee on Wednesday.

Supporters argue current heartbeat laws merely regulate abortion and still allow the procedure in certain cases, prompting Republican state Sen. Lee Bright to introduce the legislation as a way to extend full legal protections to unborn children.

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“These children deserve equal protection. I will be filing a bill of equal protection today. I know we’ve got hearts and minds to change,” Bright said Tuesday at a press conference at the South Carolina State House.

South Carolina State Representative Rob Harris said that in 2023, the Legislature and the Governor revised the heartbeat law that regulates abortion and still allows the procedure under certain circumstances.

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“Incredibly, in one section of that bill, it asserts that life begins at conception, but in another section, it writes into law where, when, and how someone may legally murder a baby in South Carolina,” Harris said.

The legislation would apply to all parties involved, including the pregnant woman.

Republicans hold large majorities in both chambers of the South Carolina General Assembly, meaning the bill could pass if GOP lawmakers remain unified. But similar abortion legislation has previously stalled amid divisions within the GOP, raising questions about whether the bill can advance.

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A November bill sought to further restrict abortion under existing law but stalled after some Republicans objected. The Prenatal Equal Protection Act goes much further, treating abortion as homicide from the moment of conception and applying criminal penalties, including for pregnant women — a shift supporters say is necessary to fully eliminate abortion.

Supporters argue the earlier bill failed because it regulated abortion rather than abolishing it, and say incremental restrictions have repeatedly stalled or been struck down, leaving a full equal-protection approach as the only lasting solution.

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The new bill is backed by national anti-abortion activists who have warned Republican lawmakers they could face primary challenges if they do not support it.

Critics are expected to raise concerns about criminal penalties, enforcement and constitutional issues.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Joshua Block walked away from questions regarding a recent statement by West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey addressing allegations of harassment against Block’s client, a transgender athlete from West Virginia. 

McCuskey, who is leading his state’s legal defense against the trans athlete after the athlete sued to block the state’s law to keep biological males out of girls’ sports, addressed the allegations at a news conference Monday. 

“Any time you think of a child being harassed, it gives you pause as a parent. And it isn’t really part of our case, but harassment of any child of any kind in this country is inappropriate. And it’s wrong, and we all need to stand up to ensure that children aren’t being harassed in any of their venues, particularly athletics,” McCuskey said. 

Fox News Digital attempted to question Block about McCuskey’s statement after oral arguments for the case in the Supreme Court Tuesday, but Block walked away from the first wave of questioning to take a picture with his team and client.

After the photo op, Fox News Digital again pursued Block to inquire about McCuskey’s statement, but Block again walked away from the questions with assistants surrounding him. 

The allegations were leveled against the trans athlete by Bridgeport High School student Adaleia Cross, who was a track and field teammate of the trans athlete when the two were at Bridgeport Middle School.

Cross’ mother, Abby, told Fox News Digital what the trans athlete allegedly said to her daughter when they shared the girls’ locker room during the 2022-23 school year. Adaleia was in eighth grade, and the trans athlete was in seventh. Abby Cross alleges the trans athlete made graphic and vulgar sexual threats to her daughter and other girls on the team.

The trans athlete’s legal representatives at the American Civil Liberties Union denied the allegations. 

“Our client and her mother deny these allegations, and the school district investigated the allegations reported to the school by A.C. and found them to be unsubstantiated. We remain committed to defending the rights of all students under Title IX, including the right to a safe and inclusive learning environment free from harassment and discrimination,” an ACLU statement provided to Fox News Digital said.

The Cross family’s attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) responded to the ACLU’s statement.

“Our client has sworn under oath and under penalty of perjury in numerous cases about the events that took place between her and the male athlete. As a result of the situation, [Cross] had to step away from the sport she loved entirely and sacrifice a key element of her school experience to protect herself,” an ADF statement provided to Fox News Digital said.

The trans athlete personally denied the allegations to The New York Times in a story published Monday.

“I was not raised like that,” the athlete said.

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The outlet obtained a letter from the Harrison County School District, stating an investigation determined Cross’ allegations “could not be substantiated.” 

The Cross family said when they reported the alleged harassment to the school, nothing was done to reprimand the trans athlete to their knowledge.

“They told me they would do a full investigation into what I told them,” Adaleia said. “And then, all of a sudden, it was like nothing else was happening. It was done, and it seemed like they thought nothing of it because they didn’t talk to us about it at all. They just left it there and didn’t tell us anything else. So, it just made it seem like, ‘Yup it’s done.’”

Her father, Holden Cross, said, “We received no response from the school after filing the report.”

Fox News Digital made repeated requests to the ACLU and the Harrison County School District, which oversees Bridgeport Middle School and Bridgeport High School, seeking documentation related to the school’s investigation and clarification on whether an investigation occurred and, if so, why only the Cross family was not notified of the results. Those requests have not been met.

Meanwhile, former Lincoln Middle School girls track and field runner Emmy Salerno alleges the trans athlete used “intimidation tactics” against her after Salerno refused to compete against the trans athlete during an event in the 2024 spring season.

Salerno’s protest came on April 18, 2024, when she and the trans athlete were in eighth grade. Salerno, along with four other girls, refused to compete in the girls shot put competition that day at a local meet. Salerno claims her team was disqualified from the following meet and then began to face intimidating stares from the trans athlete at public events.

“After we stepped out, it was an immediate personality change. He didn’t want to talk to me. He just wanted to stare at me and just stare down,” Salerno told Fox News Digital. 

Salerno has also provided Fox News Digital a screenshot of a Snapchat post, which appeared to be sent by the trans athlete, showing a photo of Salerno with a caption that says, “Reminder that she has more testosterone than me.”

Salerno said there was an incident in which the trans athlete followed her while they were at a local basketball game, making intimidating stares, and Salerno was concerned the trans athlete would try to “fight” her.

“At the basketball game when he just followed me everywhere, I kind of felt like, ‘Is he gonna try to fight me?’” Salerno said. “‘Is he going to try and sneak up behind me and punch me?’” 

Salerno and her father say they believe the stares, following patterns and social media posts were “intimidation tactics,” and there have been “lingering discomforts” stemming from the situation.

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“I’ve always tried to avoid him everywhere I went,” Salerno added.

The ACLU has not responded to Fox News Digital’s request for a response to Salerno’s allegations. 

Salerno said she avoided competing against the trans athlete the following season, but rather than making a public protest, she told her coach not to include her in the lineup for the meets against the trans athlete to avoid a penalty to the team.

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Salerno claims she has also heard other girls in the community speak about the sexual harassment allegations made by Cross against the trans athlete. Salerno said she has never been in a locker room or bathroom with the trans athlete. 

“Around track season, it gets more talked about,” Salerno said of the sexual harassment allegations. “I heard through my school, people were talking about it.” 

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