Driver Smashes Through D.C. Festival

Jun 04, 07:52 AM

Current Headlines: Washington police said a woman charged with injuring some 40 people when she drove a vehicle through a crowded festival had been smoking crack all day long.

Tonya Bell, 30, was in jail charged with aggravated assault while armed after she allegedly drove a station wagon through the Unifest festival in Washington's Anacostia neighborhood Saturday night, The Washington Post reported.

The Post said police eventually stopped Bell's car by throwing two motorized scooters under its wheels. Officers said they were afraid to fire their weapons in the crowd, the newspaper reported.

Dozens of people struck by the car were taken to area hospitals and included several children. The injuries could be traced for blocks. District of C9olumbia Mayor Adrian Fenty, who visited the injured on Sunday, said none of the injuries were life threatening.

Witnesses said the driver appeared to be laughing, the Post reported.