Ohio woman cut off in traffic, pulled from car, beaten with hammer, police say
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) — An Ohio woman was arrested over the weekend on allegations that she cut a woman off in traffic, dragged her from her car, and beat her with a hammer in front of her children. She is also accused of later bragging about it on Facebook.
Jamela Chatman, 27, was booked into the Mahoning County jail on a charge of aggravated robbery. She was expected to be arraigned later Monday in municipal court.
According to police reports, the victim told officers, who responded about 12:50 p.m. Saturday, that she was driving with her 5-year-old twins in the car when a vehicle driven by Chatman cut her off and forced her to stop.
Chatman then got out of her vehicle, ran to the victim’s vehicle, pulled her out, and began beating her with her fists and a hammer, reports said.
A female passenger in Chatman’s car went to the back of the victim’s car and tried to take the children out. The passenger later told police she was trying to get the children out of harm’s way.
Chatman took the victim’s keys before leaving, reports said.
Officers at the scene learned Chatman made a Facebook live video bragging that she took the victim’s keys, reports said. A woman who was nearby and checking on the victim showed police Chatman’s Facebook page where she made a video threatening the victim, reports said.
Reports said that officers later arrested Chatman at her home, where they found a hammer but no keys.
The victim had cuts on her arm and her scalp but declined medical attention, reports said.