A woman in Gainesville, Florida, is facing multiple charges after allegedly deliberately crashing into a patrol car and narrowly missing a second one. As per the authorities, the woman had also attempted to run over a man before the pursuit and had two children in the car with her.
According to a news release shared by the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO), the incident occurred on Saturday, July 4. Deputies responded to an apartment complex located on the 6900 block of SW 21st Ln after receiving reports of an armed disturbance.
Multiple callers contacted the ACSO and reported that a woman had attempted to run over a man with her car. The vehicle in question was a white Chrysler.
Upon arriving, deputies came across the vehicle in the address’s parking lot. The individual behind the wheel was later identified as 25-year-old Michelle Bartholomew.
Patrol Unit Hit
The ACSO deputies observed Bartholomew driving the Chrysler in the parking lot. Agents attempted to make contact with her by parking nearby.
However, the 25-year-old woman decided to violently take off, the sheriff’s office said. She is accused of abruptly speeding the Chrysler toward the responding deputies.
The woman allegedly struck the front passenger door of one of the patrol units at the scene, the Alachua Chronicle reported. Then, she attempted to hit another deputy’s vehicle, but this was unsuccessful. The deputy in question managed to swerve out of Bartholomew’s way, avoiding a collision.
Pursuit Begins
Law enforcement agents began pursuing the white Chrysler through the streets of Gainesville. Deputies attempted to initiate a traffic stop, but she refused to comply and continued to speed away and flee the authorities, the ACSO said.
During the pursuit, Bartholomew is accused of running red lights and speeding. Deputies eventually had to call off the pursuit due to an “abundance of caution.”
Why? Because deputies learned that the woman was driving recklessly with two children inside, the sheriff’s office detailed. Therefore, continuing a high-speed pursuit, which on itself is a dangerous endeavor, let alone with kids involved, was too much of a risk.
Woman Found and Arrested
Shortly after, deputies found Bartholomew in the area of 2000 NW 34th St, not far from where the pursuit was called off. At the time, she was reportedly walking the same children who were previously spotted in the Chrysler.
Deputies approached the woman right after stepping out of their patrol units. Bartholomew, even though she was with the children, attempted to jump off a bridge, to no avail, the ACSO said.
Despite resisting, Michelle Bartholomew was placed under arrest. She is charged with two counts of aggravated battery by law enforcement, two counts of child abuse without great bodily harm, aggravated assault on law enforcement, and aggravated fleeing and eluding.
The ACSO added that, shortly after placing Bartholomew in handcuffs, they searched her vehicle. Inside, no children’s car seats were found.