Woman sentenced for intentionally hitting NYPD officer with car on the Upper East Side
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UPPER EAST SIDE, Manhattan (PIX11) — A woman who shouted profanities after deliberately running over an NYPD officer on a Manhattan street last year has been sentenced to prison, authorities said.
Sahara Dula, 25, was sentenced Wednesday to two years behind bars in Manhattan Supreme Court. She had pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in June.
On Jan. 17, 2024, Dula drove her Lexus the wrong way near Park Avenue and East 71st Street on the Upper East Side, striking Officer Ruchiran Dias. Dias was guarding a vehicle linked to an unrelated high-end retail robbery on Madison Avenue at the time.
Court documents reveal that Dula told investigators she had smoked marijuana and said, “F— these cops; he wouldn’t move. I told the cop I wanted to go straight, and he would not move, so I hit him. I did it on purpose.”
Body camera footage obtained by PIX11 shows Dula’s Lexus traveling south in northbound lanes on Park Avenue before suddenly accelerating and hitting Dias, sending him over the hood and onto the pavement. Dias was hospitalized with a broken leg and additional injuries.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, called the sentence too lenient, saying Dula could have killed the officer. “We’re glad she is going behind bars instead of walking free, but our justice system needs to send a message that there will be zero leniency for attacks on police officers,” he said.
Dula’s attorney, Patricia Wright, noted that her client suffers from bipolar disorder, is on medication, and receives mental health support. Wright also pointed out that body camera footage shows officers kicking Dula in the head after she had been subdued.
“Ms. Dula has taken responsibility for her actions, pleaded guilty, and has been sentenced according to the law,” Wright said. “It is important to note that the NYPD has not fully addressed the fact that Ms. Dula was assaulted after being restrained. The judicial system, not the police, is responsible for determining guilt and punishment. We hope the officer involved will be held to a high standard of professionalism in the future.”
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