A Roxbury woman is facing serious charges following a road rage incident last month that escalated into violence when she allegedly struck a man with her vehicle and later stabbed him. The defendant, identified as Danielle Stokes, 42, of Roxbury, has been charged with dual counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, specifically implicating a car and a knife in the attack, as the Suffolk District Attorney's Office reported.
During her arraignment at the Roxbury BMC on Monday, Stokes was ordered held on $1,000 bail by Judge Lisa Ann Grant, with a subsequent pre-trial hearing scheduled for July 14. In the early hours of May 13, a violent altercation took place at Marvin Street and Shawmut Avenue, where officers discovered a male victim bleeding heavily, having suffered lacerations to his forehead and hand, his wounds indicating a stabbing incident, according to the victim and bystanders who witnessed the struggle and promptly dialed 911 for assistance.
Surveillance footage revealed that Stokes, operating a gray Audi SUV at around 2:04 a.m., initially collided with the victim as he rode on an electric scooter along Roxbury Street, after which both she and a passenger, Jacqueline Adeyemi, 54, of Boston, confronted the man. As the victim attempted to retreat on his scooter, Stokes was seen making punching motions in his direction. Approximately an hour later, the same SUV was captured by the camera stopping abruptly on Marvin Street where the victim was paused, approaching the vehicle before an altercation unfolded between him, Stokes, and Adeyemi, who wielded a bat or stick-like object against the victim.
Authorities have since issued an arrest warrant for Adeyemi, who also faces charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, while Stokes was observed during the affray making stabbing motions with an object in her hand, believed to be a knife, as she and Adeyemi loomed over the prone figure of the victim strewn along the pavement. During the victim's emergency medical treatment at Boston Medical Center, eight plastic bags containing a rock-like substance, presumed to be crack cocaine, emerged from his pocket, resulting in a court summons for him on a charge of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, this being a subsequent offense, said Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden, illustrating the gravity and visibility of violent acts in the public sphere, "This was a chaotic, continuing incident taking place in the middle of the street with, luckily, witnesses present and surveillance cameras nearby," Hayden stated in a press release, "Anyone thinking they can engage in violent conduct in this day and age with no chance of being observed is kidding themselves."
While Stokes awaits her return to court, the district attorney's office emphasizes that all individuals accused of a crime are to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Suffolk County District Attorney's Office, under DA Kevin Hayden, serves a wide jurisdiction, handling over 20,000 cases annually across numerous communities and employing a diverse staff dedicated to justice and community safety.
