An impaired woman was arrested after she fought with family members, fled the scene with her 3-year-old son and crashed her vehicle into a parked car, according to police.
About 9:15pm April 12, someone called emergency dispatch to report a woman with a knife had been involved in a fight with relatives at a home on the 2400 block of Fairhaven Court, police said. A caller informed dispatch that the woman was attempting to leave the home with her 3-year-old son in the car.
Hollister Police Officer Jason Hutchins was the first officer on the scene, arriving just as the suspect vehicle was leaving the home. Hutchins positioned his patrol vehicle in front of the suspect to attempt to block its path, but the woman drove around the patrol car. The suspect continued northbound on Valley View Road at a high rate of speed.
Hutchins activated his emergency lights and attempted to catch up to the suspicious vehicle, police said. However, the car crashed into a parked truck on the 2200 block of Valley View Road. The impact pushed a parked full-size truck into another truck parked directly behind it.
All three vehicles were “heavily damaged” as a result of the collision, according to authorities. Police released a photo of the crash scene, which showed the front of the suspect’s four-door sedan crushed against the side of a truck.
Officers quickly contacted the occupants of the speeding vehicle and located the driver and her child, who was lying on the floorboard of the front passenger’s seat, according to police. The child was conscious when officers arrived and had suffered a leg injury.
Police said it appeared the child had been placed on the front passenger seat with no restraints. The child seat was located in the rear of the vehicle, authorities said.
The child was treated at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and was later released to his grandmother, police said.
The driver, identified as Natalia Gartman, 22, suffered several major injuries due to the impact of the collision, airbag deployment and failure to use a seatbelt, police said. Gartman was transported to an area trauma hospital for treatment.
Gartman was arrested but released to medical staff for treatment of her injuries. Hollister Police will recommend that Gartman be charged with brandishing a knife, driving while under the influence, evading police and felony child endangerment, according to authorities.
