A Lake Wales woman has been apprehended following what the Polk County Sheriff's Office described as a confrontational domestic incident that occurred on Monday, June 24, 2024. According to the report, Aaliyah Ross, aged 27, purposefully drove her vehicle over a man and the infant he was holding, resulting in injuries to both. Following her actions, detectives issued an arrest warrant and later detained Ross in Orlando, where she currently resides in the Orange County Jail.
During the violent episode, Ross is said to have placed two other children, who were of tender ages—one a mere 4 years old and the other only 6 months into her car. As the male victim tried to escape with the 16-month-old baby, Ross accelerated and hit them both with a Toyota Corolla, before the vehicle crashed into a nearby trailer. After returning to an empty residence later, she left the injured infant there without supervision and did not seek immediate medical attention for them. The male victim experienced bruising to his body and lungs but was released from the hospital, relayed the Sheriff's Office in their release.
Following the horrifying event, the infant was reported to remain hospitalized with multiple severe injuries, including a broken shoulder, collar bone, and ribs, along with a partially collapsed lung. Ross, during her confinement, shared with a detective that in previous arguments, she had feigned similar acts of aggression toward the man, never actually colliding, believing he would move out of the way this time as well. "Aaliyah Ross made a series of incredibly unthinkable choices Monday: running over a man and a baby with a car, leaving the baby alone, and failing to get medical treatment for the obviously injured's baby," Sheriff Grady Judd said. He called her impulsive anger a threat to public safety.
The welfare of the other two children, who were fortunately found later, is now being assessed by the Florida Department of Children and Families to determine the appropriate custody arrangements. Held at the Orange County Jail, Ross will be transferred to the Polk County Jail as procedures move forward. Further legal ramifications and proceedings for Ross are pending as the investigation into the harrowing episode continues.
