A 20-year-old woman from Kentucky has been arrested after police say she drove into a group of pedestrians in downtown Lexington in the early hours of Sunday morning. Here are five key things to know about the case:
Kentucky woman accused of driving Tesla into crowd, leaving four injured. (Fayette County Detention Center)What actually happened?
Kaydence Carpenter who is 20 and from Frankfort, Kentucky is accused of driving her black Tesla Model 3 into a group of people at 2:20am local time on Sunday in downtown Lexington.
According to WKYT, she was reversing her car in a parking lot and then suddenly drove forward into the crowd, hitting several people and throwing some onto the hood. She then drove the wrong way down Short Street before police stopped her.
Four pedestrians were injured in the incident.
Police say she was drunk
According to the Independent, when officers approached Carpenter after stopping her, they noted she “exhibited bloodshot watery eyes, slurred speech, a variety of emotional effects, and the odor of an alcoholic beverage radiated from her person.”
She refused to take a breath test at the scene. Later, she took a field sobriety test at the Fayette County Detention Center where police said she showed signs of being impaired. Additionally, during a search of her car, officers also found a fake ID and a valid driver’s license.
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Officers said she showed ‘Extreme indifference to human life’
Officers said her actions “created substantial danger of death and/or serious physical injury to others.”
They also said she showed an “extreme indifference to the value of human life.”
The charges she faces
Carpenter faces several charges including four counts of second-degree assault, first-degree wanton endangerment, DUI, reckless driving and allowing a person under 21 in a place where alcohol is sold.
Police also recovered a fake ID and a valid driver’s license from her vehicle. She was released after posting a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in Fayette District Court on Monday.
She was smiling in her mugshot
This is perhaps the strangest thing about the entire incident that Carpenter was seen smiling in her mugshot taken after her arrest.
