Florida City driver tried to hit pedestrian she knows but hurt someone else: cops

A woman driving in Florida City sped toward a woman she had an ongoing “personal conflict” with and ended up hitting and severely injuring a man crossing the street, police say.

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The crash happened on May 9 as Tangela Wright, 51, drove a white Chevrolet impala westbound on Davis Parkway while attempting to turn left onto Sixth Avenue as a man and woman were “lawfully crossing the roadway within the marked crosswalk,” according to Wright’s arrest affidavit.

Police say Wright sped up and drove toward them, striking the man so hard that he was sent into the air before landing on the roadway.

Paramedics arrived to take him to a hospital, but due to the severity of his injuries, including fractured ribs and a neck injury, the man needed to be airlifted to a trauma center, police say.

Detectives reviewed surveillance footage, which they say shows Wright driving westbound on Davis Parkway and making only a “minimal stop” at a stop sign at Sixth Avenue.

“The video further showed the defendant accelerate into the intersection as both victims were actively crossing within the marked crosswalk,” Wright’s arrest affidavit reads.

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The woman told police that immediately after the collision but before police arrived, Wright admitted that she was trying to hit the woman and not the man.

The two had “an ongoing history of personal conflict” and Wright had “attempted to initiate physical fights with her,” according to the woman’s statements to police. It is unclear how the two know each other.

On Thursday, detectives called Wright and told her to go to the Florida City Police Department for an interview. Police say the statements made by Wright did not match up.

Detectives determined they had enough evidence to make an arrest and charge Wright with two counts of attempted murder. Jail records show Wright is at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center with a bond status of “to be set.” Court records show Wright is being represented by a public defender.

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