By Jim Clark

A reported case of vehicular assault brought police to Bonair St. on Sunday.

Officers arrived at the scene but reportedly saw no signs of a disturbance at first. They approached a parked vehicle that two women were sitting in and asked if they had reported any incident, to which they replied that they had not, but they pointed to a group of individuals standing in a nearby driveway and said that they had done so.

Police then asked the driver of the vehicle, Elva Martinez, what had happened and she reportedly told the officers that while she was attempting to park her vehicle on the street another woman approached and said that the spot was hers. Martinez further stated that the other woman placed an object in the parking spot and stood there in an attempt to keep Martinez from parking.

Martinez reportedly told police that she informed the other woman that she was going to park there and proceeded to do so.

Police then questioned the reporting party as to what had happened. She reportedly told police that she had just returned home from work and was waiting for her boyfriend to assist her with parallel parking her car into the parking spot that she and her boyfriend had shoveled out.

The reporting party also said that she had pulled her vehicle up past the parking spot in front of the driveway so her boy friend could park the car, police said. She further reportedly said that was when Martinez stopped at the parking spot, as if preparing to park there.

The reporting party then said she went over to the vehicle and told Martinez that she had shoveled out that parking spot and was about to park there, but then both Martinez and the passenger began to yell and swear at her.

The reporting party said she stepped into the parking spot in an attempt to prevent Martinez from parking, but said Martinez continued to back into the spot driving straight at her striking her in the right leg and driving over her right foot with the rear tire as she stepped out of the way.

Martinez also hit the vehicle that was parked in front of the parking spot in question, according to the reporting party’s statement to police.

A neighbor of the reporting party reportedly said that he had witnessed the incident while he was outside shoveling and observed Martinez back her vehicle into the parking spot and strike both the vehicle in front of hers and also hit the reporting party, who was standing in the parking spot.

The officers reportedly observed fresh damage to the left front bumper of Martinez’s vehicle, as well as fresh damage to the rear right bumper of the vehicle consistent to the statements given by both the reporting party and the neighbor.

Police asked Martinez if she had struck to vehicle in front of her and she responded by yelling, “I didn’t hit her.”  Officers then attempted to explain to Martinez their observations of the damage to both her vehicle and the vehicle in front of hers, but she reportedly continued yelling, “I didn’t hit her.” Officers again tried to explain to Martinez that they were talking about the car in front of hers, but she did not acknowledge what they were saying and kept yelling, “I didn’t hit her,” according to police.

Martinez was asked by police to produce her driver’s license and the vehicle’s registration.  Martinez reportedly opened a small wallet that contained multiple cards and said, “Yeah, I have my license, it’s right here.” She was asked to hand it over and she reportedly refused saying, “Why do you need my id?”

She was again asked to provide the vehicle’s registration, whereupon she reportedly pulled out a document holder, held it up and said, “It’s right here, find it yourself.”  It was explained to Martinez that if she did not provide the requested documents she would be subject to arrest. Holding the wallet and document holder in her hands, she again said, “Get it yourself,” according to reports.  It was again explained to her that she was subject to arrest if she did not provide the requested documents.  She then reportedly put the wallet on her lap and the document holder on the dashboard and said, “I know my laws, you can’t arrest me.”

Martinez was then advised that she was being placed under arrest and ordered out of the vehicle. She reportedly refused to exit the vehicle, at which time the officers opened the driver’s side door and again ordered out, and she reportedly refused once again.  Police took hold of Martinez’s left arm, removed her from the vehicle and placed her in handcuffs while she kept yelling, and attempting to pull away.

Martinez was charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and motor vehicle operator refusal to identify self.