Police: Rockford woman hits two men with her car on purpose

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Police arrested Arielle Tripp, 24, for allegedly hitting two men on purpose with her car after her passenger told her to.

On September 26, around 11:18 a.m., officers were called to the 300 block of North Court Street for reports of an aggravated battery with a vehicle.

When authorities arrived, the victims told them they were both walking on North Court Street when a maroon Ford Fusion purposefully went off the road to hit them.

One victim was able to see the suspect in the car with her male passenger yelling “just do it,” according to court records. The victims told officials the driver turned the car toward them, ran over one of their legs and drove through the grass of Second Congressional Church.

One victim was able to get the license plate number, which police found to belong to Tripp.

Authorities also retrieved security footage from the church that showed the Ford Fusion striking the two men.

Tripp was interviewed by police where she said she was told by her passenger that those two men pushed him coming out of the plasma clinic off of East State Street. He saw the men who he claims pushed him getting on a bus and told Tripp to follow the bus, according to court records.

When the two victims exited the bus, the passenger told Tripp to follow and hit them with her car, reports said. Tripp said she went on to hit the two men.

Tripp is charged with two counts of aggravated battery using a deadly weapon.

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