Attorney says woman who hit people with car was attacked first, feared for her life
A Chicago woman accused of running over a 15-month-old child and his grandmother remains jailed on $250,000 bond, a Lake County judge ruled Thursday.
Attorneys for Zaria Greenlee, 20, said the woman was trying to escape a vicious attack when she drove a car into a group of people about 6:30 p.m. June 12 outside a Waukegan home.
Greenlee pleaded not guilty to one count of aggravated battery to a child younger than 13 and to nine charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon resulting in great bodily harm. If found guilty of the most serious charge, she could be sentenced to 30 years in prison, Judge Daniel Shanes said.
Assistant State's Attorney Scott Hoffert said Greenlee drove with her boyfriend and their child to the boyfriend's home on the 500 block of Helmholz Avenue and that Greenlee got out of the vehicle and attacked another woman who has children with the boyfriend.
Greenlee then got into the vehicle and hit four people - including the child and the grandmother - before hitting a chain-link fence in the area, Hoffert said in court.
After hitting the fence, Greenlee turned the vehicle around and drove away, Hoffert said. Waukegan police arrested her nearby a short time later.
The child who was hit suffered lacerations to his liver and spleen, a collapsed lung, a fractured hip, a neck injury, and multiple lacerations; the grandmother and two others received fractures, Hoffert said.
Attorney LaTonya Burton said in court that the episode started because Greenlee was attacked by three larger adults outside the home; she was kicked and bitten before jumping back into the car and trying to drive away from the attack.
In addition, Burton said, the vehicle Greenlee was in was doused in gasoline by the attackers.
"She (Greenlee) is not the type of person who decides to get into a car and run over a child," Burton said. "She was a person who was fearful for her life after being jumped on."
Shanes said he might revisit reducing bond at a later date. Greenlee returns to court Sept. 5.