A Tennessee woman allegedly ran down her own daughter with a car after the teen missed the bus to school last week.
Tennessee woman lashes out over missed school bus
The disturbing incident led to the arrest of 48-year-old Misty Sue Coleman, who is now facing a felony charge of aggravated child abuse or neglect.
According to the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, the ordeal unfolded around 8 a.m. Tuesday, August 19, at the Chattanooga Girls Leadership Academy, located on Bailey Avenue in Chattanooga.
Officials said the drama began when the girl walked into the school’s front office in tears and told staff her mother was furious over her missing the school bus.
The girl claimed Coleman became so enraged that she pressed the gas before the child had fully stepped out of the rear passenger seat.
“While exiting the vehicle, the student stated the mother accelerated before the child was fully outside, striking the victim’s right ankle and driving away from campus without stopping,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
Authorities confirmed surveillance footage from the school’s parking lot backed up the girl’s account.
“The video showed the student partially exiting the rear passenger side before the vehicle accelerated, striking the child and leaving the scene with the door still open,” according to the report.
Tennessee woman arrested for allegedly hitting her own child
The student, whose name and age have not been disclosed, was left shaken by the incident.
Investigators quickly opened a probe, which resulted in Coleman’s arrest later that same day. Deputies booked her on the felony abuse charge.
Because the investigation involves a minor, officials said no further details about the girl’s injuries or condition would be provided.
Coleman posted bond shortly after being taken into custody and was released from jail.
She is set to appear before a General Sessions Court judge on September 3.
As authorities in Tennessee dealt with that case, Florida deputies were called to a similarly shocking act of violence that same week.
Florida man mad at mom ran over stranger
In Hernando County, a man allegedly plowed into an elderly stranger seated in a chair beside the road, injuring him severely before bolting into the woods.
Officials said 36-year-old Quaze Lavarn Simmons was arrested and charged with attempted murder after the brutal attack in South Brooksville, Florida.
Deputies said the incident occurred just after 10:40 a.m. Sunday, when dispatchers received a frantic 911 call reporting that a 74-year-old man had been struck near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Josephine Street.
The victim, who was simply sitting in a chair along the roadside, was hit by a vehicle that then fled the scene.
When first responders arrived, they discovered the suspect’s gold Toyota Corolla LE abandoned on the sidewalk. The vehicle’s driver was nowhere in sight.
Paramedics found the elderly man suffering catastrophic injuries, including broken legs and a severe head wound.
Emergency crews quickly airlifted him to a trauma center due to the seriousness of his condition.
Detectives tracked down the car’s registered owner, who told them she did in fact own the Toyota but that her son, Simmons, often drove it.
With his identity established, deputies began scouring the nearby woods. A short while later, Simmons emerged covered in mud and leaves. He was detained on the spot.
The sheriff’s office said Simmons gave inconsistent accounts about what had happened.
“Simmons initially told detectives he lost control of the vehicle and ran in fear of his mother’s reaction to the crash,” the release stated.
However, video surveillance collected from the area contradicted his version of events.
Footage revealed Simmons deliberately veering across traffic and accelerating directly toward the seated man.
“At no time were the vehicle’s brake lights observed, nor was there any evidence of the driver losing control,” authorities noted.
Once confronted with the evidence, Simmons allegedly confessed. “He told detectives he had been upset after an argument with his mother over money and chose to strike the victim because he was ‘just there,’” officials reported.
Simmons was taken into custody without incident and booked at the Hernando County Detention Center. He is being held on $250,000 bond as he awaits further court proceedings.
