A 24-year-old woman who mowed down a cop in her black Lexus while high on marijuana was charged a month after being released on bail following the brutal attack that was caught on camera.
Sahara Dula was charged with a slew of crimes, including attempted first-degree assault, operating a vehicle under the influence of drugs and reckless driving, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg announced Thursday.
Dashcam footage shows her driving on the wrong side of the road before hitting the officer as he approached her, sending him sprawled across the bonnet of the car into the road on January 17.
Dula, a drug safety mentor, spent just six days behind bars before posting $25,000 bail, according to Department of Correction records.
While the officer struck by Dula continues to suffer pain and remains unable to return to work, the charges against Dula have sparked backlash, with some saying it should have escalated to the level of attempted murder.
24-year-old Sahara Dula, who mowed down a cop in her black Lexus while high on marijuana, was charged a month after being released on bail following the brutal attack caught on camera
Dashcam footage shows her driving on the wrong side of the road before hitting the officer as he approached her, sending him sprawled across the bonnet of the car into the road on January 17.
DA Bragg said, “Not only is this defendant allegedly endangering the lives of countless people traveling on Park Avenue, but she intentionally attempted to harm an NYPD officer.”
“We will not tolerate these types of dangerous attacks on police officers and we will continue to treat this case with the seriousness it deserves. I hope the injured officer makes a full recovery and thank him for his service to protect New Yorkers.”
Court papers show Dula later admitted: “I told the officer I wanted to go straight, but he wouldn’t move, so I hit him. I did it on purpose.’
Dula bumped into the officer, who has not been named, as NYPD officers responded to a robbery at a luxury retailer on the Upper East Side.
Several thieves made off with about $10,000 worth of clothing and expensive items, fleeing in a vehicle before abandoning it a few blocks away.
The pursuit led police to close part of the road, and as Dula slowly drove down the wrong side of the road, the officer approached her to order her into the correct lane.
In the dashcam footage, a person can be heard shouting at the officer to ‘be careful’ seconds before Dula struck hit the gas and sent him flying over the hood.
Witnesses claimed that New York Post that Dula, a Brooklyn resident whose attorney said she mentors children to stay off drugs, immediately afterward yelled at the officer, “F*** these cops – it’s a lesson for him and hopefully he doesn’t want a cop anymore.” are. ‘
According to her LinkedIn, Dula will graduate from New England College in 2022 with a major in criminal justice and communications.
Footage of the incident shows several other officers rushing to the aid of the injured officers, while Dula was promptly arrested and handcuffed.
Court papers showed the officer had a broken leg and bruises on his body.
The moment came when NYPD officers tracked down a nearby group of thieves, and Dula tried to drive onto the wrong side of the road.
The driver then accelerated, sending the officer sprawling across the hood of her car onto the road.
Stunned witnesses rushed to the officer’s aid, with Dula reportedly admitting he was in custody: ‘I told the officer I wanted to go straight but he wouldn’t move so I hit him. I did it on purpose’
Once in custody, Dula reportedly confessed to the vehicle attack “on purpose,” with Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Lucy Shephard adding during Dula’s arraignment that she had “admitted to smoking marijuana beforehand.”
Shephard added that marijuana and rolling papers were found in Dula’s car.
The prosecutor sought $100,000 bail for the “egregious” attack, but a judge lowered the bail to $25,000.
Questions have been raised about why she was not charged with attempted murder in the blatant attack.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said in a statement Friday: “We are pleased this individual is being held in jail, but we cannot understand why she is not charged with attempted murder.
“She tried to run up and kill a New York City police officer. She proudly admits it, but she still doesn’t face the maximum punishment.
“This kind of leniency has led to thousands of police officers being attacked and injured.
“We are not going to let this case become just another statistic,” he continued. ‘We will ensure that a message is sent. If you assault and injure a New York City police officer, you will face the full force of the law.”
Dula reportedly has previous arrests, including a March 2022 charge of criminal mischief stemming from an incident near the Atlantic Terminal Mall in Brooklyn where she smashed a property with a metal fence.
The charges against her in that case were later dropped.
Dula’s attorney noted that she mentors children to help them stay off drugs, and she graduated two years ago with a degree in criminal justice
Dula had also been arrested in New Hampshire, including in 2020 when she failed to stop at an intersection and struck another vehicle. She reportedly tried to flee but was apprehended.
During her court appearance, Dula’s attorney Patricia Wright said she was “trying to sever her ties to New Hampshire,” which also included a separate arrest for assault at Concord Hospital.
Wright noted that Dula suffers from bipolar disorder and also runs a business where she mentors children with music to help them stay off the streets and away from drugs and gangs.
The building manager of her Brooklyn apartment told the New York Post that she was unfriendly, surly and “smoked a lot of weed.”
“She is a rude person,” they said. ‘Don’t laugh in front of anyone. She’s like that all the time.’