Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Driver Who Hit NYPD Officer in Wrong-Way Park Avenue Crash Gets Two Years

The term reflects a plea deal to second-degree assault that unions called too lenient.

Overview

  • Manhattan Supreme Court sentenced Sahara Dula, 25, to two years in prison with three years of probation.
  • She pleaded guilty in June to second-degree assault for striking Officer Ruchiran Dias in a Jan. 17, 2024 wrong-way crash on Park Avenue.
  • Court records say she admitted smoking marijuana and said she hit him "on purpose," and prosecutors said she drove about 10 blocks the wrong way.
  • Body-worn camera video shows the Lexus accelerating into Dias and launching him onto the hood; he was hospitalized with a broken leg.
  • PBA President Patrick Hendry condemned the punishment as too light, while Dula’s lawyer cited bipolar treatment and alleged officers kicked her after she was subdued.