SF Woman Charged With Attempted Murder
by Jill Johnson
October 19, 2012 7:06 PM
The Sioux Falls woman accused of ramming and injuring a trooper with the South Dakota Highway Patrol is now facing charges. Among other charges, 25-year-old Rachel Coleman is being charged with her 4th Offense DUI as well as attempted murder.
It all began just after 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday. According to court documents, Trooper Andrew Steen saw the Silver Chevy Malibu, the car Rachel Coleman was driving, sit through an entire green light at an intersection on the West side of Sioux Falls. Steen tried to pull Coleman over. When she ignored the emergency lights, a pursuit began.
The documents say she pulled into the Windsor Heights Apartment Complex where she lives on St. James Drive. It appeared as if she were going to stop but continued to drive through the Empire Mall's parking lot nearby, eluding police for 20 minutes.
The pursuit ended in the parking lot of 57th and Western Avenue. There, Coleman struck several patrol cars, including Steen's. Trooper Steen got out of his vehicle attempting to stop Coleman. He fired shots at her car after she nearly hit him. That's when Coleman wrecked her vehicle into David Jones, a business at The Bridges.
Steen ran in front of her vehicle again, and along with Lincoln County deputies, continued to fire shots at her car. According to court papers, Coleman then accelerated and hit Steen. The 34-year-old trooper landed several feet away, suffering critical head injuries and a broken ankle. Even though Coleman had been shot by officers, she fled again, but was arrested shortly after near 47th and Western Avenue.
Steen underwent surgery on Thursday to relieve pressure on his brain. Authorities aren't saying anything about Coleman's condition. She is also being charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement, vehicular battery, felony eluding and felony hit-and-run.
