A chilling scene unfolded on a January evening in Manhattan as a black Lexus careened the wrong way down Park Avenue, directly toward an NYPD officer.
Sahara Dula, 25, intentionally slammed into the officer while he was directing traffic near a reported robbery, sending him flying onto the pavement. The officer suffered a fractured leg in the brutal impact.
Court records reveal a disturbing motive: Dula, fueled by anti-police sentiment and reportedly under the influence of marijuana, confessed to the deliberate act. “I did it on purpose,” she reportedly told investigators, shouting obscenities against law enforcement immediately after the collision.
The incident occurred as officers had partially closed Park Avenue to investigate a burglary at a luxury boutique. Video evidence clearly shows Dula accelerating towards the officer despite his clear instructions to correct her course.
Inside her vehicle, authorities discovered marijuana and rolling papers, adding another layer to the complexity of the case. Dula, a criminal justice graduate, has since been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is undergoing treatment.
Despite pleading guilty to second-degree assault in June, Dula received a prison sentence that has ignited controversy. She was sentenced to incarceration, followed by three years of post-release supervision.
The Police Benevolent Association swiftly condemned the sentence as far too lenient, arguing that it fails to adequately reflect the severity of the crime and the danger faced by law enforcement. They emphasized the potential for a fatal outcome.
Dula’s attorney maintains that her client has accepted responsibility and complied with all court requirements since her arrest, portraying her as a “model citizen” during the pretrial period.
The Manhattan District Attorney initially denounced the attack as a “dangerous assault” and vowed to prosecute it with the utmost seriousness, expressing hope for the officer’s full recovery and gratitude for his service.
The case raises critical questions about the consequences for intentionally targeting law enforcement and the balance between justice, mental health, and public safety.
