A 24-year-old woman, who ran over a police officer in her black Lexus while high on marijuana, has been formally charged a month after being released on bail following the brazen attack caught on camera.
Sahara Dula was charged with a series of crimes including attempted first-degree assault, operating a vehicle while intoxicated by 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 over the hood of the car and onto the road on January 17.
Dula, a drug safety mentor, spent just six days behind bars before posting bail set at $25,000, according to Department of Corrections records.
While the officer beaten by Dula continues to endure pain and remains unable to return to work, the charges brought against Dula have sparked backlash, with some saying they should have escalated to the level of attempted murder.
Sahara Dula, 24, who ran over a police officer in her black Lexus while high on marijuana, was charged a month after being released on bail following the brazen 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 over the hood of the car and onto the road on January 17.
District Attorney Bragg said, “Not only did this defendant allegedly endanger the lives of countless people traveling down Park Avenue, she also deliberately attempted to harm an NYPD officer.”
‘We do not tolerate these types of dangerous attacks on police officers and will continue to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves. “I hope the officer who was injured makes a full recovery and I thank him for his service in keeping New Yorkers safe.”
Court documents show Dula later admitted, “I told the cop I wanted to go straight and he wouldn’t move, so I hit him.” I did it on purpose.’
Dula collided with the officer, who has not been named, at the same time as NYPD officers were responding to a robbery at an upscale store on the Upper East Side.
Several thieves took around $10,000 worth of clothing and expensive items, and fled in a vehicle before abandoning it several blocks away.
The chase led police to close part of the road, and as Dula was slowly moving on the wrong side of the road, the officer approached her to order her to get into the correct lane.
In the dash cam footage, a person can be heard yelling at the officer to “be careful,” seconds before Dula struck. He stepped on the accelerator and sent it flying over the hood.
The witnesses stated that New York Post that Dula, a Brooklyn resident whose lawyer said he counsels children to stay away from drugs, yelled at the officer immediately afterward: ‘Fuck these cops; It’s a lesson for him and hopefully he doesn’t want to be a police officer anymore.’ ‘
According to his LinkedIn, Dula graduated from New England College in 2022 with a major in criminal justice and communications.
Footage of the incident shows several other police officers running to the aid of the injured officers, while Dula was immediately arrested and handcuffed.
Court documents noted that the officer suffered a broken leg and bruising throughout his body.
The moment came when NYPD officers were chasing a nearby group of thieves, and Dula attempted to drive on the wrong side of the road.
The driver then stepped on the accelerator and the officer fell onto the hood of his car and onto the road.
Stunned witnesses rushed to the officer’s aid, and Dula allegedly admitted in custody: “I told the police officer I wanted to go straight and he wouldn’t move, so I hit him.” I did it on purpose’
Once in custody, Dula allegedly confessed to the vehicular assault “on purpose,” and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Lucy Shephard said during Dula’s arraignment that she “admitted to smoking marijuana” beforehand.
Shephard added that marijuana and rolling papers were found inside Dula’s car.
The prosecutor asked for bail of $100,000 for the “heinous” attack, but a judge reduced it to $25,000.
Questions have been raised about why she was not charged with attempted murder in the blatant attack.
Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry said in a statement on Friday: “We are pleased that this person is in prison, but we do not understand why he is not being charged with attempted murder.”
‘She attempted to run over and kill a New York City police officer. She proudly admits it, but she still doesn’t face the maximum penalty.
‘This type of leniency has led to thousands of police officers being attacked and injured.
“We are not going to allow this case to become another statistic,” he continued. “We will follow up to ensure a message is sent: If you attack and injure a New York City police officer, you will face the full force of the law.”
Dula reportedly has prior arrests, including a criminal mischief charge in March 2022 for an incident near Brooklyn’s Atlantic Terminal Mall, where he vandalized property with a metal barrier.
Charges against her in that case were later dropped.
Dula’s attorney noted that she counsels children to help them stay away from 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 crashed into another vehicle. She reportedly attempted to flee the scene but was detained.
At his court appearance, Dula’s attorney, Patricia Wright, said he was “trying to put his ties to New Hampshire behind him,” 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 he 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 and brusque, and that she “smokes a lot of weed.”
“She’s like a rude person,” they said. ‘Don’t smile for anyone. She’s like that all the time.