A Manhattan judge on Wednesday sentenced a woman to just two years in prison after she admitted to deliberately striking an NYPD officer with her car while driving high on marijuana, an outcome police union leaders called far too lenient, as reported by The New York Post.
Sahara Dula, 25, pleaded guilty in June to second-degree assault for running over the officer during a January 2024 incident on Park Avenue in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Woman who screamed ‘F–k these cops’ after purposely mowing down NYPD cop gets light sentence: ‘not nearly enough’ https://t.co/mdHGSwAo2U pic.twitter.com/gttGglIdzs
— New York Post Metro (@nypmetro) October 29, 2025
The officer, who suffered a broken leg, had been assisting with a robbery investigation nearby when Dula accelerated her vehicle directly into him.
“The sentence is not nearly enough. This individual tried to run down a New York City police officer. She could have killed him,” said Police Benevolent Association President Patrick Hendry following the sentencing.
“We’re glad she is going behind bars instead of walking free, but our justice system needs to send a message that there will be zero leniency for attacks on police officers.”
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Dula appeared before Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Melissa T. Lewis, who handed down the two-year prison sentence along with three years of probation to follow. Prosecutors had originally sought a much harsher penalty under a charge that carried up to seven years behind bars.
Authorities said the incident occurred around 4:30 p.m. on January 17, 2024, when Dula drove her black Lexus the wrong way on Park Avenue near East 71st Street.
Officers were in the area closing off the street as part of a robbery response at a nearby luxury clothing store when Dula approached the barricade.
Video from the scene showed one officer attempting to redirect her vehicle as a bystander shouted, “Be careful, be careful!” Instead, Dula hit the accelerator, slamming into the officer and sending him onto the hood of her car before he fell to the pavement.
NEW: 25-year-old Sahara Dula purposely ran over an NYPD officer because he “wouldn’t move.” Her words—not mine. “I told the cop I wanted to go straight, and he wouldn’t move, so I hit him. I did it on purpose… F*** these cops, it’s a lesson to him.”
That’s not a “mistake.”… pic.twitter.com/4ghQnKeyZq
— A Gene Robinson (@AlBuffalo2nite) October 30, 2025
The injured officer was taken to a local hospital and treated for a fractured leg. Police arrested Dula at the scene, where she later admitted she struck the officer intentionally.
“F*ck these cops. He wouldn’t move,” Dula said, according to prosecutors.
Investigators said Dula had been driving northbound in the southbound lanes for about 10 blocks while impaired. Officers found marijuana and rolling papers inside her vehicle.
Her attorney, Patricia Wright, told the court that Dula, a criminal justice graduate, suffers from bipolar disorder and is under mental health treatment. Despite the argument for leniency, prosecutors emphasized the danger she posed to officers and the public.
Dula was initially indicted on several charges, including attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, operating a vehicle while impaired by drugs, and reckless driving. She ultimately pleaded guilty to a single count of assault in exchange for the reduced sentence.
The NYPD officer has since returned to duty, while union officials continue calling for stronger sentencing standards for those convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers.
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