Shocking moment former football star slams petite woman to ground in fit of road rage
A horrifying video captured the moment a young mother was knocked to the ground by a former football player after a road rage incident in Massachusetts.
Hailea Soares, 31, was thrown to the sidewalk around 8:50 a.m. Friday in Attleboro by Gladior Kwesiah, 26, after a minor car accident at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 1A.
When officers responded to multiple 911 calls for the collision, they found Soares lying on the ground, crying and bleeding from her head, Attleboro police said.
At the scene, the responding officer also found Kwesiah, of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, standing over the mother of two.
Soares, who is just 6 feet tall and weighs 110 pounds, said the violent incident occurred after Kwesiah accosted her on the highway. He then hit the brakes while driving, causing her car to collide with his.
Kwesiah then approached the mother as she got out of her truck and pinned her to the ground as she tried to get her phone, she said.
A local witness captured the horrific moment when Kwesiah Soares hit his head in the middle of the road.
“When a man almost picks you up over his head and throws you to the ground, yeah, you start to wonder if you’re going to wake up after that,” Soares said. Boston 25 News.
Hailea Soares, 31, was thrown to the sidewalk around 8:50 a.m. Friday in Attleboro by Gladior Kwesiah, 26, after a minor car accident at the intersection of Route 1 and Route 1A.
Soares, who is just five feet tall and weighs 100 pounds, said the violent incident occurred after Kwesiah accosted her on the highway. She said he checked her on the road, causing her to crash her car into his
According to the Attleboro Police Department, police found Soares lying on the ground, crying and bleeding from her head, with Kwesiah standing over her.
‘I turned around and there was blood dripping on my hands. And then I realized: I couldn’t move, I couldn’t stand.’
Bystanders later told authorities that before Kwesiah threw the mother to the sidewalk, he punched the roof of her car.
Kwesiah and Soares then got into a verbal dispute when she was heard shouting, “Leave me alone!” to the man before he picked her up.
At that moment, Soares said she thought she was going to die.
“All I could think about was that I knew I was in the air, and by the time I realized I was in the air and I thought to myself, I might die right now, I would have hit the ground already hit.
“And I didn’t realize I had hit the ground. “It was a strange feeling I felt on my face and then I realized I was on the ground, I rolled over and blood was dripping on my hands,” she said. CBS News.
Bystanders later told authorities that before Kwesiah threw the mother to the sidewalk, he pounded on the roof of her car.
Soares had to get eight stitches in her head and was left with a serious eye socket injury
She was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital and left with a broken foot, broken knee, severe damage to her eye socket and a serious injury to her head that required eight stitches.
Soares said she immediately thought of her one- and eight-year-old children because she had no idea if she would make it out alive.
‘I have a baby. You know, who wouldn’t even know me, who wouldn’t even remember me,” she said.
A GoFundMe page was founded to help Soares during these challenging times.
“I’m reaching out with an urgent appeal for help following a horrific incident that has changed our beloved Hailea’s life forever,” Bianca, a friend, wrote.
Bianca added that Soares is the “sole provider” for her young children, but now she can no longer work due to her serious injuries.
The donations are intended to cover the mother’s hospital bills, support her children while she heals, and help with rent and utilities.
She was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital and was left with a broken foot and also a broken knee
Soares is the “sole provider” for her young children, but now her serious injuries mean she can no longer work
As of Sunday evening, more than $18,840 had been raised for Soares and her children.
Sergeant Kevin Sellers of the Attleboro Police Department said the entire incident was “outrageous and shocking.”
“Especially a man attacking a woman like that. Certainly unacceptable, criminal, and the police were able to take appropriate action,” Sellers said.
Kwesiah was arrested and charged with causing bodily harm, malicious destruction of property, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon: sidewalk.
He was taken to Attleboro District Court and arraigned Friday CBS News.
According to a local outlet, The Valley Breeze, Kwesiah signed his National Letter of Intent to American International College in 2017
His bond is $2,500 cash and he is not allowed to have contact with the victim.
According to a local outlet The valley breeze, Kwesiah signed his National Letter of Intent to join the American International College in 2017.
The former gridiron star earned First-Team All-State honors as a lineman for Shea High School and was a two-time First-Team All-Division choice.
At the time, Kwesiah told the outlet that his main focus was on his family, including his grandmother, mother and grandfather.
He added that he really “just wanted to focus on getting a good education no matter what.”
It was unclear what came of Kwesiah’s college dreams in the first place.