Jan 8, 2008 10:07 pm US/Eastern
Crack-Fueled Driver Who Hurt 49 Sentenced
WASHINGTON (AP) ―
A woman who injured nearly 50 people when she plowed her car
through a street festival while high on crack cocaine was sentenced to
25 years in prison Tuesday.
Tonya Bell apologized to the victims, many of whom testified how
their broken bones, scars and psychological wounds from the June 2
incident have had a profound impact on their lives, limiting their
ability to work or pursue their life passions.
"I'm so sorry for the pain I caused," said Bell, who quivered at
the defense table and wept often during the half-hour hearing. "It
haunts me."
She told the victims she asks God to "bless you back to health."
Bell, 30, of Oxon Hill, Md., pleaded guilty in October to multiple
counts of aggravated assault while armed and assault with a dangerous
weapon, along with a charge of cruelty to children. District of
Columbia Superior Court Judge Herbert Dixon gave Bell the maximum
sentence allowed under the plea agreement she reached with prosecutors.
According to prosecutors, Bell had gone on a crack binge in the 24
hours before the street festival, consuming $700 worth of the drug. She
then placed her 7-year-old daughter in the back seat of her station
wagon and headed toward Unifest, a church-sponsored street festival in
southeast Washington.
At speeds of up to 70 mph, Bell made two passes through the
area, knocking people to the side and under the car. A police officer
who tried to pull her over said she was laughing as she drove. Her
station wagon was finally stopped when officers crashed their scooters
under the vehicle and a man jumped through the window to put the
transmission in park.
No one was killed, but 49 people were injured, including to police.
Some of the injured described in court how they dragged for several
blocks under the car or thrown into the air by the impact. Most said
they felt sorry for Bell.
Antwan Williams, 49, has had four operated on an injured leg and still suffers migraines and flashbacks.
"I'd just like to ask her why she didn't stop when she hit the first person," Williams told the judge.
Bell's attorney said she had lived a tortured life, with abusive
and absent parents. After eight criminal convictions, Bell appeared to
have righted her life somewhat in 2004 when she was in a drug treatment
program. However, she later became involved in an abusive relationship,
which precipitated a drug relapse.
Bell said she had attended Unifest as a child.
"I am horrified I ruined such a blessed event," she said.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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