In LRPD Incident Reports, Pro-Lifers Allege Vehicles Nearly Struck Them Outside Little Rock Abortion Facility

Over the summer, Family Council obtained multiple videos and police reports in which pro-lifers alleged having close encounters with vehicles outside a surgical abortion facility in Little Rock.

A Little Rock Police Department incident report from July 13, 2021, states,

OFFICERS WERE DISPATCHED TO 10825 HERMITAGE ROAD FOR A BATTERY REPORT. UPON ARRIVAL CONTACT WAS MADE WITH DENISE SHEWMAKE. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED SHE WAS STANDING ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF 4 OFFICE PARK DR. MS. SHEWMAKE STATED THE BUSINESS IS AN ABORTION CLINIC AND SHE STANDS OUTSIDE TO LET THE LADIES KNOW THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED AS SHE WAS STANDING ON THE SIDEWALK SHE HAD HER BACK FACING THE STREET. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED HER FRIEND, KIM PUSKA STATED “WATCH OUT SHE IS COMING”. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED THE OWNER OF THE BUSINESS, NATALIE TVEDTEN ATTEMPTED TO HIT HER WITH HER VEHICLE CAUSING HER TO FALL INTO THE LANDSCAPING. THERE WERE NO INJURIES SEEN ON MRS. SHEWMAKE. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED THE VEHICLE DID NOT MAKE CONTACT WITH HER. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED SHE WAS ABLE TO JUMP OUT OF THE WAY IN TIME. MRS. SHEWMAKE STATED MRS. TVEDTEN MAKES THREATS TO THE “ABORTION PROTESTERS” ALL THE TIME ABOUT RUNNING THEM OVER WITH HER VEHICLE. CONTACT WAS MADE WITH MRS. TVEDTEN, SHE STATED SHE WAS PULLING INTO HER DRIVEWAY OF THE BUSINESS AND DID NOT SEE ANYONE IN THE DRIVEWAY. MRS. TVEDTEN STATED SHE DID NOT ATTEMPT TO HIT MRS. SHEWMAKE WITH HER VEHICLE.

Below is video footage Family Council obtained from the the alleged July 13 incident via Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act.

Below is a 2020 photograph of the location where the incident allegedly occurred. A white line painted across the driveway appears to separate the public easement from the abortion facility’s private property.

Family Council has obtained police reports and video footage of similar alleged incidents since July.

Video footage from the morning of September 7, 2021, shows what appears to be the same vehicle passing close to a person standing on the sidewalk outside the facility:

Surveillance video footage from that afternoon on September 7, 2021, shows what appears to be the same vehicle stopping abruptly before a woman who was crossing the facility’s driveway:

A Little Rock Police Department incident report indicates that Natalie Tvedten allegedly was driving the vehicle seen in the video that afternoon, and that Becky Matthews was the woman crossing the driveway. The police report says,

ON 09/09/2021 BECKY MATTHEWS REPORTED A HARASSMENT. MS. MATTHEWS STATED SHE WAS PRAYING OUTSIDE THE ABORTION CLINIC ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AT THE INCIDENT ADDRESS WITH MARY JO LEWNO. WHILE AT THE SCENE ON 09/07/2021 AT APPROXIMATELY 1425 HOURS, NATALIE TVEDTEN DROVE UP ON MS. MATTHEWS QUICKLY AND STARTED TO YELL OBSCENITIES AT HER. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED. MS. MATTHEWS WAS ADVISED TO SEEK A WARRANT AND AN ORDER OF PROTECTION.

Family Council also has obtained LRPD incident reports related to similar, alleged incidents outside the abortion facility since 2018.

A police report from March of 2018 says:

OFFICERS MADE CONTACT WITH DANNY GUNDERMAN AT THE LISTED LOCATION. HE ADVISED HE WAS PRAYING ON THE STREET CORNER, WHEN HE NOTICED VEHICLE #1 DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. HE ADVISED VEHICLE #1 SWERVED AND PURPOSELY STRUCK HIM. HE ADVISED THE MIRROR HIT HIM FIRST, AND THE TIRE GRAZED THE SIDE OF HIS FOOT. HE ADVISED THE DRIVER TOLD HIM NOT TO STAND IN THE DRIVEWAY OF THE LISTED ADDRESS. MR. GUNDERMAN STATED HE WAS NOT IN THE DRIVER WAY, AND WAS STANDING ON THE CORNER OF THE SIDEWALK AT THE EDGE OF THE STREET. HE STATED, HE RECOGNIZED THE DRIVER AS NATALIE TUEDTEN [sic], OWNER OF THE CLINIC. OFFICERS MADE CONTACT WITH NATALIE TUEDTEN [sic], WHO ADVISED MR. GUNDERMAN WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRIVEWAY, AND SHE SWERVED AROUND HIM, IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING HIM. SHE STATED SHE DID NOT HEAR THE VEHICLE BUMP HIM, AND DID NOT HIT HIM AT ALL. OFFICERS NOTICED CAMERAS POINTING TOWARDS THE ENTRANCE OF THE BUSINESS, AND REQUESTED THE STAFF LET THEM VIEW THE VIDEO FOOTAGE; HOWEVER, THE STAFF TOLD OFFICERS THE CAMERAS HAVE NOT BEEN RECORDING SINCE EARLY FEBRUARY. MR. GUNDERMAN STATED HE HAD NO IMMEDIATE INJURIES AND REFUSED MEDICAL TREATMENT. SERGEANT JOHNSTON WAS ADVISED OF THE INCIDENT. OFFICERS MADE CONTACT WITH WITNESS #1 MR. HART, HE ADVISED SHE SAW MR. GUNDERMAN STANDING ON THE CORNER OF THE ENTRANCE TO 4 OFFICE PARK DRIVE, AND NOT THE CENTER OF THE ENTRANCE. HE ADVISED THE SILVER COLOR SUV DRIVEN BY THE SUSPECT MS. TUEDTEN [sic] DELIBERATELY STRUCK MR. GUNDERMAN. WITNESS #2 SUAREZ ADVISED SHE ONLY RECOGNIZED THE DRIVER, BUT SHE DID NOT SEE THE ENTIRE INCIDENT. OFFICERS OBSERVED A SHRUB BED NEXT TO THE SIDE WALK. THE SIDE WALK ENDED AS THE DRIVEWAY STARTED. MR. GUNDERMAN WAS STANDING VERY CLOSE TO THE DRIVEWAY AT THE EDGE OF THE STREET, THEREBY POSSIBLY OBSTRUCTING THE ENTRANCE WAY INTO THE BUSINESS. THE WITNESS ON THE SCENE WAS ALSO THERE TO PROTEST THE ABORTION CLINIC. OFFICERS ADVISED BOTH VICTIMS TO SEEK WARRANTS.

A Little Rock Police Department incident report from June 18, 2020 indicates that a man outside the abortion facility alleged that he and others were nearly “run over” by Natalie Tvedten on May 19, May 29, and June 13 of that year.

A different man reportedly alleged to LRPD that a vehicle nearly struck him outside the facility on February 5, 2021.

The police reports and surveillance video footage seem to indicate that pro-lifers have had multiple close calls with vehicles outside of Little Rock Family Planning Services over the years. As far as Family Council can tell, authorities have not pursued any action against the facility’s employees or owners as a result of these alleged incidents.

The information contained in this blog post was compiled and written with assistance from members of the Family Council staff.