Mom accused of trying to mow down kids in junior high parking lot

A woman accused of trying to mow down children with her minivan as they fled screaming through a parking lot is facing four counts of battery with a deadly weapon.

Police on Monday identified Jaquitta Madison, 36, as the suspect in the attack in a parking lot near Silverstri Junior High School, at South Jack Leavitt Street and East LeBaron Avenue, around 2:20 p.m. on Friday.

Police said at the time that the woman got in a fight with a student before climbing into a white minivan and then speeding through the lot and “clipping” four children before driving off.

But video of the incident obtained by the Review-Journal and witness’ accounts paint a more dramatic scene. They indicate that the driver appeared to deliberately target the kids while her son sat next to her in the front seat encouraging her.

“The saddest part was her son was in the front seat, saying, ‘Go mom! Go get him! My mom’s going to run you over you better move,’” said witness Katie Duda, adding that children were jumping on the hood of the minivan to avoid being hit. “She was literally doing doughnuts trying to hit these kids.”

Police said four children were struck before the woman drove off, but received only minor injuries.

Ron and Sherry Lawrence said their 14-year-old granddaughter suffered bruises to her leg when she was struck by the vehicle. The couple said the woman got into a fistfight with a boy in the alley shortly after a group of kids got out of class at Silvestri.

“She punched the kid in the face, got back in her car and ran over four other children and left the scene,” Ron Lawrence told the Review-Journal.

She was released Monday on $20,000 bail with low-level ankle monitoring.

Contact Sabrina Schnur at sschnur@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0278. Follow @sabrina_schnur on Twitter. Review-Journal staff writer Glenn Puit contributed to this report.