CINCINNATI -- An antiwar rally was disrupted when a man drove his tractor-trailer rig toward about 40 protesters who were holding signs on the sidewalk of a freeway overpass, police said.

James Watters, 49, of Cincinnati, was charged with three counts of aggravated menacing, one count of inducing panic and one count of reckless operation of a vehicle, police said. He remained in the Hamilton County jail Monday night.

None of the protesters were injured.

An officer reported that Watters drove his semi onto the sidewalk of the pedestrian walkway toward the protesters, causing them "to run in fear of being hit." The incident occurred about 6 p.m. Monday, police said.

Witnesses said the cab of Watters' truck had several patriotic stickers, including one with a U.S. Marine Corps emblem.

"The general prevailing sentiment was that some of us were going to get hit," said protester Mary Ann Reese, 46, of Cincinnati. "One person was in a wheelchair, so he really had to scatter."

Protester Larry Schartman, 50, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, said the demonstration had been a peaceful event until the truck appeared.

"(The truck) stopped about 10 feet from the nearest protester," said Schartman, who was one of about 40 people participating in the "Peace in Iraq" rally. "Thank God nobody got hurt."