Polk County mother Aaliyah Ross has been arrested for deliberately running over her partner and their 16-month-old child amidst an argument last Monday, before fleeing and leaving the injured toddler without immediate medical attention. The Orlando Sentinel reports that the argument, which allegedly centered around the disciplining of the child, escalated when surveillance footage showed the boyfriend shoving Ross' head and throwing a cement block at her car.
Ross, 27, purportedly accelerated the vehicle, striking both her boyfriend and the child, and finally crashing into a trailer; this traumatic series of events played out while two of her other children, aged four years and five months, were inside the car witnessing their sibling and father being mowed down, her actions were an unfortunate result, yet it's clear that something was amiss a definite cause for concern. According to FOX 35 Orlando, the injured infant, in critical condition, was eventually flown to a Tampa hospital, facing severe injuries including multiple broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung.
In light of Ross' arrest in Orlando, she now faces an array of grim charges, from aggravated child abuse to leaving the scene of a crash among other allegations, as detailed by the Orange County jail. Sheriff Grady Judd, labeling the act as 'crazy', detailed that the boyfriend went outside with their toddler to reportedly calm down, only to be chased and run over by Ross, who had previously attempted to hit the man with her car in other instances, a sentiment echoed in an interview Ross had with detectives. She is currently awaiting extradition back to Polk County where she will stand trial for her charges, as per an announcement from authorities.
The entire situation has not only shaken the local community but also raised questions about the safety of the children involved; the two siblings present during the incident are now subjects of a Florida Department of Children and Families custody investigation, as the authorities work to find a safe environment for them. "You're talking about crazy? This crazy woman," Judd said in a statement, a sentiment that seems to capture the gravity of the situation and the bewildering actions of the mother "Well, she said this, 'I guess he didn't get out of the way,'" added Judd, according to FOX 35 Orlando about what Ross told detectives post-arrest. Neighbors like Marissa Johnson, who reported hearing a scream on the day of the incident and later seeing the boyfriend in distress on the street, expressed relief upon Ross' apprehension. "I'm glad that she's finally caught," Johnson told WESH.
