Tanaezah Michelle Austin, 25, faces charges of assault with a deadly weapon against a government official after allegedly hitting a Charlotte police officer with her vehicle during a street takeover early Sunday morning in northwest Charlotte, North Carolina.

Officers responded around 3:25 a.m. on March 1 to reports of cars performing donuts in a commercial parking lot. When one officer approached a black Kia Optima attempting to leave, the driver initially stopped but then accelerated, striking the officer and sending him rolling over the hood. The officer, who was in full uniform and giving verbal commands, was treated at a hospital for minor injuries.

Video of the incident posted online shows the officer standing in front of the car before it accelerates toward him. The footage demonstrates the officer was clearly visible, contradicting claims that the collision was accidental.

Austin was arrested March 2 and released early on March 3 after posting a $3,000 bond, with a probable cause hearing set for March 24. Experts noted that she may have paid as little as $300 to secure her release.

“This could have been a fatal encounter,” said retired Charlotte police lieutenant Randy Sutton, founder of The Wounded Blue. “She saw him, he was communicating with her, and then she just gunned the car toward him. She ran over a cop, and she walked out.”

Dan Redford, president of the Charlotte Fraternal Order of Police, criticized the low bond, calling it “pathetic” given the intent to flee.

U.S. Rep. Mark Harris called the release “a complete slap in the face for our brave law enforcement” and demanded changes to the city’s approach to criminal bail. “Running over a police officer is of the highest level of evil…Enough is enough!” he said.

Austin’s prior record includes misdemeanor marijuana and paraphernalia charges in 2025, which were later dropped.

The case highlights ongoing concerns in Charlotte and across the U.S. over violent offenders being released on low or no bond. Last year, Charlotte faced national attention after the murder of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, whose alleged killer had been arrested and released 14 times.