This is the moment a Rhode Island driver body-slammed a mother-of-two to the ground during a road rage incident in Massachusetts.
Gladior Kwesiah, 26, of Pawtucket, was arrested and charged with assault and battery after slamming Hailea Soares, 31, of Somerset, into the ground after a minor car accident on January 3.
Soares accidentally hit Kwesiah's car from behind in an Attleboro intersection around 9am, causing the man to get out of his car, bang on Soares' roof, and allegedly drag her out of her vehicle.
Dashcam footage showed Soares body-slammed into the ground as she struggled to get out of his grip in the middle of the road.
The hulking man was seen lifting her tiny body above his shoulder before slamming her head-first into the pavement. Her body crumpled and she appeared to struggle to get up.
'By the time I realized I was in the air…I thought to myself: "I might die right now,"' Soares told WSAZ. 'It was a weird sensation I felt on my face. I realized I was on the ground and rolled over. There was blood dripping all over my hands.'
Police found the single mother on the ground with blood coming from her head wound and she was rushed to the hospital.
'I don’t know if he was having a bad day. I don’t know what that was, but if that’s the type of person he is, I don’t think he belongs in society with the rest of us,' she told the outlet.
Gladior Kwesiah, 26, of Pawtucket, was arrested and charged with assault and battery after slamming Hailea Soares, 31, of Somerset, into the ground after a minor car accident on January 3
Dashcam footage showed the moment Kwesiah body-slammed Soares into the ground as she struggled to get out of his grip in the middle of the road
The hawking man was seen lifting her tiny body above his shoulder before slamming her head-first into the pavement. Her body crumpled and she appeared to struggle to get up
'I didn’t even say anything violent to him. I didn’t say anything and he seemed very focused, very driven,' she told WPRI.
Kwesiah was arrested and charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, vandalizing property, and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
His bail has been set at $2,500.
'He was just being a jerk-off on the road,' Soares, who has two young children at home, recalled. 'All I could think was: "I’m probably not going to be able to walk again."
'I can’t even tend to my kids. I can’t even walk up a staircase. I can’t put my own sock on my foot,' she said.
Soares, who is out of the hospital, is thankful to be reunited with her one and eight-year-old children.
A family friend, Bianca Lynn, started a GoFundMe to help the mother recover from her injuries and to care for her children.
'He was just being a jerk-off on the road,' Soares, who has two young children at home, recalled. 'All I could think was: "I’m probably not going to be able to walk again."
'I didn’t even say anything violent to him. I didn’t say anything and he seemed very focused, very driven,' she said
'Hailea suffered severe injuries, including a broken knee, a broken foot, damage to her eye socket, and a serious skull injury,' Bianca revealed in the fundraiser. 'As a single mother of two young children, Hailea now faces an uphill battle - physically, emotionally, and financially'
'Hailea suffered severe injuries, including a broken knee, a broken foot, damage to her eye socket, and a serious skull injury,' Bianca revealed in the fundraiser. 'As a single mother of two young children, Hailea now faces an uphill battle - physically, emotionally, and financially.'
Soares is expected to be out of work for months while she heals, Bianca said.
'Hailea is a loving mother and a fighter who has always been there for others in their time of need,' she said.
The fundraiser has garnered more than $34,500 of its $40,000 goal.