MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A suspected drunk driver accused of hitting as many as four cars in a series of crashes Friday evening was eventually stopped thanks to the acts of a Good Samaritan, WREG has learned.
Mark Purifoy says he witnessed one of the crashes around 6:30 p.m. at the corner of Summer and Highland.
“Watched a car go crashing through the intersection, creamed off of two other cars,” Purifoy said.
But even after that, Purifoy said the woman driving the Infiniti still tried backing up and driving, so he used his Jeep to pin her in until police could arrive.
“Police drew their guns, forced her out of the vehicle. She pulled away from them, tried to get back in the vehicle and take off,” Purifoy.
In one of the wrecked cars, a woman and her three passengers sustained minor injuries, according to the woman’s boyfriend who asked to remain anonymous.
“She hit them pretty hard though and she totaled the car, so that just lets you know how fast she had to been going,” he said.
Police identified the Infiniti’s driver as 22-year-old Maria Ramirez.
Ramirez is suspected of driving under the influence.
She was also linked to two other crashes earlier in the evening.
In one, she allegedly rear-ended a Lexus on Poplar at Holmes.
Exclusive video captured by WREG shows the Lexus’ driver confronting Ramirez. Next, we see him briefly hanging on the hood, yelling at her to stop, which she does before speeding off without him.
At one point, another driver told police they were rear-ended Ramirez on Poplar before she crashed at Summer and Highland.
She’s charged with disregarding a red light, DUI, reckless driving and leaving the scene of an accident. She was released on her own recognizance and is due in court Monday morning.
“The way her car was and everything, airbags in her face, no telling what else she could have done,” said Purifoy.
