Woman threatened teens with knife before driving into them as they played basketball, sheriff says
Daina Renee Forrest mug shot. (Pitt County Sheriff's Office)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - A white North Carolina woman was charged with driving her car into a yard where three Black teenagers were playing basketball, injuring one of them.
A Pitt County Sheriff's Office news release said deputies responded Sunday afternoon to a report of a child intentionally hit by a car in Greenville.
The news release said that Daina Renee Forrest, 35, of Greenville, had been driving around and threatening the three teens by waving a knife and cursing. The release said Forrest "intentionally veered her car off the roadway and partially into the yard to strike the children."
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One teen was taken to the hospital for treatment and Forrest's car had damage to the front that was consistent with hitting a person, according to the release. Sgt. Lee Darnell, a sheriff’s spokesman, said the injuries appeared to be minor.
Deputies said when they searched her car, they found marijuana, crack cocaine and a knife.
Forrest was charged with three counts of assault with a deadly weapon and a count of felony cocaine possession. Jail records indicate she was being held Tuesday.
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Forrest was identified in jail records as white, while Darnell said the three teens were Black. Asked whether race was a factor, he said: "I don’t believe it was a race hate crime, no."
Darnell said he didn't know whether Forrest has an attorney who can speak on her behalf. A message left at a phone listing for Forrest wasn't immediately returned.