A mother told Brookhaven police that two witnesses came to her aid when a woman attacked her, stole her car and drove off while her child was still in the back seat.
Morgan Nicole Vila, 28, of Decatur, allegedly ran the mother over on Buford Highway on Monday afternoon while trying to get away in the stolen car. She faces a slew of charges, including kidnapping and hijacking a motor vehicle, in connection with the attack, according to jail records.
The reunited mother and daughter were both “crying hysterically” when Brookhaven police arrived at the scene about 4:30 p.m., according to a police report obtained by AJC.com.
Witnesses told investigators they saw Vila walking in the middle of the highway, approaching cars, tugging on door handles and “acting very strange.”
When Vila arrived at the mother’s car, she found the back door unlocked and climbed inside, the incident report said. Vila then started fighting the woman from the back seat.
Fearing for her child’s safety, the mother said she got out and tried to pull Vila from the vehicle. However, Vila climbed into the front seat and started to drive away, the report said.
The mother grabbed Vila and held onto her, according to the report. Vila slammed on the gas and smashed into the back of another car. She then drove over the center median, dragging the woman alongside the car, police said. The mother was eventually thrown to the ground and run over as Vila drove away with the child, police said.
Two witnesses heard the woman screaming for her baby as the incident unfolded. They pulled their car over and told the mother to get inside, the report said. The trio then began pursuing the stolen vehicle.
After a short time, the mother saw her car wrecked on a sidewalk and worried that her daughter was seriously hurt. She went to the car and found her daughter crying, but OK, the report said.
A homeland security agent, who had also witnessed the incident, saw Vila get out of the car after it crashed. When he saw her banging on the hood of another vehicle and demanding to be let inside, he tackled her and held her until police arrived, the report said.
Vila was booked into the DeKalb County Jail, where she remains without bond. In addition to kidnapping and hijacking, she is charged with aggravated assault, cruelty to children, reckless driving, obstruction of officers and hit-and-run.
The mother and child were both taken to the hospital, the police report said. Their current conditions were not released.
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