A Ponca City woman is facing multiple charges after police say she tried to run over a man whose truck had just been hit. When officers arrived, she allegedly sped through a group of bystanders, then continued accelerating while pursuing him. Ruth Ann Harper, identified by police as 61 years old, was taken into custody on multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.
According to KOKH, the incident unfolded while Ponca City police were already working to locate an endangered missing person and instead found themselves fielding multiple reports of a hit-and-run crash. Police said Harper attempted to run over a man whose truck had been struck. When officers arrived, she allegedly sped through a group of people. After another driver tried to stop her, Harper continued accelerating while pursuing the man as he ran from her.
Bystander’s Vehicle Struck During Chaotic Scene
Police told the station that Harper sped through a group of people who were nearby when officers arrived. Another driver tried to intervene and stop her, and in the chaos, a bystander’s vehicle struck Harper’s car, according to the same report.
Officers arrested Harper on multiple counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, and the report notes that Ponca City police anticipate additional charges could be filed as the investigation continues. No timeline for those potential charges has been released.
Conflicting Records on Harper’s Age
While the report identifies Harper as 61, a separate booking-list report from kaynewscow.com listed a Ruth Ann Harper, 62, of Ponca City, on a domestic assault and battery charge from a jail booking spanning Aug. 12-21. It is not clear from available records whether the age discrepancy reflects a reporting error or two separate bookings, and that detail remains unresolved.
Details on the exact date, time, and location of the alleged incident have not been released, and it remains unclear whether the anticipated additional charges have since been filed. Police have not identified the male victim, the bystander, or others involved in the encounter.
