Police investigation
Louisville Metro Police said officers spoke with Stanford and completed a report after responding to the incident. The case was assigned to a 6th Division detective, who followed up with her. Investigators have a partial motorcycle license plate but had not positively identified the person involved, according to the police information reported by WLKY and The Courier Journal.
Police are asking anyone with relevant information or video to contact investigators through the LMPD Crime Tip Line at 502-574-LMPD (5673). LMPD also cautioned the public against sharing unconfirmed names or identifying details online. Its safety advice, as reported by WLKY, is to avoid confronting or following people involved in aggressive driving, move somewhere safe and call police.
Accounts of the incident differ on the weapon
Stanford told WLKY that a motorcyclist followed her for miles on I-65 before she left the highway for Preston Highway near 4700 Preston Highway. She said her 1-year-old daughter was in the car and that the man approached her vehicle, broke its driver-side window, pulled her out by her hair and assaulted her. Stanford sought medical attention afterward, according to Yahoo News.
The reported descriptions of what was used in the assault are not consistent. WLKY’s account of Stanford’s description says the object was a steering-wheel lock. Separately, WKYT reported that video appeared to show an object resembling a belt, while council member Tammy Hawkins described a metal steering-wheel lock to Yahoo News. The available accounts do not resolve that difference.
Council members call for action
Council members Tammy Hawkins and Betsy Ruhe have urged police to make an arrest or the motorcyclist to turn himself in. Hawkins said she believed police had enough information to question and pick up the person involved. The Courier Journal reported that the council members said the motorcycle, its plate and the rider’s description corresponded to the name and address of a man in south Jefferson County; police, however, had not confirmed the person’s identity, according to The Courier Journal.
Hawkins also criticized motorists who passed without stopping and urged people to check safely on anyone who may be in danger, as reported by WLKY. The incident occurred in Ruhe’s council district, according to Yahoo News.
