MEMPHIS, Tenn. – A Memphis woman says she’s thankful to be alive after being run over by a driver trying to steal her purse.
The victim, who did not want to be identified, was able to drive herself to the hospital and is now recovering at home with broken ribs, a fractured shoulder blade, and scrapes and bruises all over her body.
“I’m supposed to be dead,” said the victim. “She ran over me with the front and back tire, and I heard some bones broke.”
The assault happened on December 17 at Apple Blossom Drive and Maple Leaf Drive in Southeast Memphis.
The victim said she had just left a friend’s home and was reaching inside the window of her SUV to open the door when a woman drove past her and grabbed the purse on her shoulder, dragging her several feet.
“I refused to let my purse go because it had my money and stuff in it,” the victim said. “So finally, she let the purse go, and when she let the purse go, she ran over me.”
The victim said she was on the ground for several minutes after she was hit. She said some neighbors came out of their homes, but no one tried to help her.
“I didn’t immediately get up because I was hurt, and I was praying all the way to the hospital. It was terrible,” the victim said. “I’m little, but God was with me. I pray all the time.”
The victim was able to give police a description of the suspect and the vehicle she was driving, and Thursday, officers arrested Kristian Walker, 34, and charged her with aggravated assault.
The victim says she has tire marks on her chest and back and doesn’t understand why Walker has not been charged with attempted murder and robbery.
“I didn’t think they were going to get her. They got her so fast,” she said.
The victim said there were two men in the SUV with Walker when she was hit, but Walker is the only one facing charges.
Walker was released from jail on a $20,500 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court on January 13.
Walker has a lengthy criminal record. In July, she was arrested for theft and resisting arrest.
