Woman Faces Attempted Murder Charges for Allegedly Running Over Officer During Protests

A stock photo of police tape. Jeff Karoub/File via AP

A Philadelphia woman accused of running over a police officer and fleeing the scene amid protests is facing multiple felony charges, including attempted murder.

Angela Hall, 41, was arrested on June 8 in connection with the incident which took place on May 30 at Seventh and Chestnut streets in Old City. Hall allegedly fled the scene of a looting at a beauty supply store when she ran over bike patrol officer Tony Nieves, who was trying to stop her.

Video footage shows several people carrying merchandise out of the store while Hall waited outside in one of three vehicle according to District Attorney Larry Krasner, who announced the charges against Hall on Tuesday.

The day after the incident, Hall reported the vehicle, which was rented, as stolen, but authorities said that video footage of the incident allegedly shows Hall abandoning it on the 6300 block of Eastwick Avenue in Southwest Philly later that night.

She is facing a charge of burglary and conspiracy to commit burglary, two counts of aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, filing false reports causing severe bodily injury to officer Nieves, and attempted murder.

WPVIT-TV reported that Nieves was left with 12 broken ribs, a shattered sternum, and five fractured vertebrae in his back and neck from the attack.

“This individual’s criminal actions are egregious and resulted in serious, possibly permanent injuries to a police officer who was responding to a situation that was already dangerous,” Krasner said. “My thoughts are with this officer and his loved ones at this time: I hope your recovery will be speedy and complete. This office intends to hold Angela Hall accountable for the severe harm she has caused Officer Nieves.”

Protests have erupted across the United States in recent weeks following the death of African American man, George Floyd, in Minnesota police custody on Memorial Day.

Floyd, 46, was arrested by police outside a south Minneapolis grocery store for alleged fraud. A citizen’s cellphone video showed an officer—identified as 44-year-old Derek Chauvin—kneeling on Floyd’s neck for almost 9 minutes as he struggled to breathe.

He eventually became unresponsive, and the father of two was pronounced dead May 25. Chauvin was arrested and has since been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Three other officers, Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J. Alexander Kueng, were fired from the Minneapolis Police Department.

While many of the protests following Floyd’s have been peaceful demonstrations, some have escalated into looting, with a number of states across the country being forced to call upon the National Guard to assist law enforcement in keeping protests at bay. The violent protests have also reached other parts of the world, including Australia, France, Germany, and England, among others.

A preliminary hearing for Hall has been scheduled for June 24.