An Oregon mom who had been living in her car with her 3-year-old daughter faces murder charges after she allegedly drove her vehicle into a bustling Las Vegas commercial strip, killing one and injuring dozens, according to various media accounts.
Police say she “snapped” under pressure after living in her car for week with her 3-year-old daughter, leading to a terrifying scene that sent pedestrians running for cover, reports say.
Lakeisha Holloway, 24, of Oregon, faces a murder charge after allegedly plowing her car into a jam-packed sidewalk on Sunday, according to CBS News. Her 3-year-old daughter was in the car with her at the time, and was uninjured, notes the report.
Per CBS:
Clark County Coroner John Fudenberg said Monday that 32-year-old Jessica Valenzuela of Buckeye, Arizona, died in the crash. The coroner said the suburban Phoenix woman was visiting Las Vegas with her husband.
Investigators believe the woman driving a 1996 Oldsmobile intentionally “went up and off these streets, two or possibly three times,” Lt. Dan McGrath said. A 3-year-old was in the car with her but was not hurt, police said.
The driver sped away before the vehicle was found at a hotel and she was taken into custody, police said.
Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo told CNN it’s unclear what caused the young mother to “snap” after working so hard to get her life on track. In a 2012 video by the Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center, which helps at-risk youth with education and career, she talked about “coming a long way,” writes the cable news outlet.
Via CNN:
“We believe that she had some disassociation with the father of her child,” the sheriff said,
He said investigators think Holloway had been in Las Vegas for about a week, homeless and living in her car.
Lombardo said police don’t know what “caused her to snap and/or whether it was planned previously.”
Besides murder, she faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident, and child abuse or neglect, writes CNN.
SOURCE: CBS News, CNN | PHOTO CREDIT: Getty | VIDEO CREDIT: NBC News
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Mom Faces Murder Charge In Vegas Hit-And-Run; Cops Say She “Snapped,” Had Been Living In Car was originally published on newsone.com