He may have wanted to evade the roadblock but I do not think he intended to deliberately hit anyone. Other than that I think we agree.
He's got his Narrative, and he's sticking to it. :)
Oh, I know he did not intend to hit anyone. We agree all the way down the line.
But that is not the point.
The point is what those officers concluded from his actions...and the fact that he was willing to come that close...that he was willing to hazard their lives...therefore their guard and their concern over him in particular would have gone way up.
It is how they are trained and in the circumstance, from their perspective, it is also understandable.
They were put into that situation by managers who decided to end this protest without regard to the danger it placed both the protestors and the law enforcement personnel in.