By Joanna Putman
Police1
NEW YORK — Dash camera video shows the moment a wrong-way driver intentionally hit an NYPD officer, PIX 11 reported.
The Jan. 17 incident occurred when an officer on foot approached a vehicle turning the wrong way onto a one-way street, according to the report. The vehicle briefly stopped as Officer Ruchiran Dias approached.
Then, the vehicle suddenly sped up, sending Dias over the hood and to the ground. Video shows bystanders approaching the driver, now known to be Sahara Dula, 24, and helping Dias as he lay in the roadway.
Dula appeared in court on Jan. 19, where she informed investigators she had done it on purpose.
Click below to see full video.
“[Expletive] these cops; he wouldn’t move. I told the cop I wanted to go straight, and he would not move so I hit him. I did it on purpose,” Dula stated, according to court documents.
Dula’s attorney stated in court that she suffers from bipolar disorder, is on medication and gets mental health help, according to the report.
“Until these people are punished for assaulting New York City police officers, they’re going to continue,” PBA President Patrick Hendry said.
Dula was held on $25,000 cash bail and is due back in court on Jan. 23, according to the report.