WASHINGTON — A woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to hitting a 5-year-old girl and her father with a car and then walking away, leaving the child pinned underneath until help arrived.
Thaniyyah Veney, 33, pleaded guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault while armed with a vehicle.
The crash happened on July 8. The young girl and her father were waiting for a bus in the 3200 block of Fourth Street in Southeast, D.C. when Veney hit the pair with her car as they stood on the sidewalk.
The Department of Justice said Veney's car drove over the 5-year-old girl and continued moving until hitting the front steps of a home. Veney then got out of the car and walked to a nearby alley, leaving the child trapped beneath her car.
Firefighters were able to lift the car, using a makeshift level fashioned from a ladder, and the 5-year-old girl was airlifted to an area hospital with critical injuries. According to an Instagram post from Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, the girl suffered a broken shoulder, a broken hip and a fractured skull.
Hours after the crash, Veney's breath was tested and officials found the blood alcohol content to be above the legal threshold for intoxication.
Veney is being held pending sentencing, which is scheduled for February 23, 2024.
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