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A woman who intentionally struck an NYPD officer with her car after shouting anti-police remarks has been sentenced to prison, a punishment the police union says was too lenient.
Sahara Dula, 25, received the sentence Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court, along with three years of post-release supervision, after pleading guilty to second-degree assault in June.
Prosecutors said Dula intentionally hit the officer with her black Lexus on Jan. 17, 2024, while driving the wrong way on Park Avenue near East 71st Street. Officers were in the area investigating a robbery at a nearby luxury boutique and had partially closed the roadway, according to court documents.
Video cited in the records shows an officer approaching Dula’s car to direct her back into the correct lane. Instead of stopping, Dula accelerated, striking the officer head-on. The officer rolled over the hood before hitting the pavement and suffered a fractured leg, prosecutors said in court filings.
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Sahara Dula told investigators “I did it on purpose” after striking a NYPD officer on Park Avenue in 2024. (X/@MrAndyNgo)
Dula was immediately taken into custody, police said. While under arrest, she went on an anti-police tirade and admitted she had hit the officer on purpose, according to the court documents.
“I told the cop I wanted to go straight, and he wouldn’t move, so I hit him. I did it on purpose,” Dula told investigators, according to the records.
“F— these cops! He wouldn’t move!” she shouted shortly after the incident, the filings state.
Authorities said Dula drove northbound in the southbound lanes of Park Avenue for roughly 10 blocks while under the influence of marijuana. Officers recovered rolling papers and a container of marijuana in her car’s cupholder, court records show.
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Sahara Dula, 24, told investigators she struck the officer “on purpose.” (X/@MrAndyNgo)
Dula, a criminal justice graduate, has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and is receiving ongoing mental-health treatment, according to the New York Post.
Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry criticized the outcome, telling Fox News Digital that the justice system needs to send a stronger message.
“The sentence is not nearly enough,” Hendry said. “This individual tried to run down a New York City police officer. She could have killed him. We’re glad she is going behind bars instead of walking free, but there must be zero leniency for attacks on police officers.”
Her attorney, Patricia Wright, told Fox News Digital that Dula has accepted responsibility for her actions.
“Ms. Dula has taken responsibility for her actions, pleaded guilty and has been sentenced according to the law,” Wright said. “We sincerely hope that the officer involved in the assault on Ms. Dula will be held to a high standard of professionalism in the future and will not have the opportunity to engage in such behavior again.”
Since her arrest, Wright said Dula has fully complied with all pretrial release conditions and has been a “model citizen.”
Dula was initially indicted on multiple charges, including attempted assault, attempted aggravated assault on a police officer, assault, drug-impaired driving and reckless driving, according to the indictment.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg previously condemned the attack in a February 2024 news release announcing the indictment, calling it a “dangerous assault” on law enforcement.
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Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg previously condemned the attack as a “dangerous assault” on law enforcement. (Barry Williams for NY Daily News via Getty Images)
“This defendant not only endangered the lives of countless people traveling on Park Avenue, but she deliberately sought to harm an NYPD officer,” Bragg said. “We have no tolerance for this type of attack and will continue to treat it with the seriousness it deserves. I hope the injured officer makes a full recovery and thank him for his service.”
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While the second-degree assault charge carried a maximum sentence of seven years, Dula’s plea deal reduced her prison term to two years, followed by three years of supervised release, Wright said.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.