Welcome to Arrest Stories. A twenty-five-year-old North Carolina woman is facing felony charges after allegedly striking a police officer with her vehicle during a chaotic street takeover in Charlotte. Here's what may have happened.
On March first at approximately three twenty-five in the morning, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers responded to reports of vehicles performing donuts in a commercial parking lot in northwest Charlotte during what authorities described as a street takeover. Officers arrived to find multiple cars engaged in the illegal activity.
Tanaezah Michelle Austin was driving a black Kia Optima that was attempting to leave the scene when an officer approached her vehicle. According to police reports, Austin initially stopped when the uniformed officer positioned himself in front of her car and ordered her to halt. However, Austin then allegedly hit the gas and accelerated rapidly, striking the officer with her vehicle.
Dramatic footage captured the moment Austin's car barreled into the uniformed officer, sending him rolling over the hood of the vehicle. The officer stumbled but miraculously landed on his feet as Austin fled the scene. Police described the incident as a brazen attack that was caught on camera.
Austin continued fleeing from officers at high speed, traveling ninety miles per hour in a sixty-five mile per hour zone. Police deployed their newly implemented Grappler bumper system, which entangles rear tires in a high-strength net, bringing the suspect vehicle to a controlled stop.
Austin was arrested and charged with Felony Evading Arrest or Detention with a Motor Vehicle along with additional related offenses. She was released on a three thousand dollar bond, which sparked outrage from law enforcement officials.
One official stated, "When I hear about someone being released on a three thousand dollar bond for running over a police officer on video, it boggles my mind. She saw him, he was communicating with her, and then she just gunned the car toward him. This could have been a fatal encounter."
Another official commented, "These are among the worst of the worst incidents that we have to deal with in Charlotte. To see a three thousand dollar bond for an offender, regardless of whether she has a criminal history or not, when the intent to flee was clearly there, is pathetic."
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.