An Arizona woman is facing charges after she allegedly ran over and killed a man she met on a dating app after he tried to end the date and accused her of “catfishing” him.
Police told the Daily Mail that Norris Taft, 52, was found in the parking lot outside his home in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 3. Authorities said a witness reported seeing him get run over by an SUV that fled the scene.
The Daily Mail reported Taft had been on a first date with Mikela Bahe, 30, who is accused of running him over after their failed tryst.
Documents obtained by the Daily Mail show the two first met on the dating app MocoSpace, and he drove to a Dunkin’ Donuts to pick her up.
Text Messages Raise Alarm During Date
WHAM reported that at some point during the date, Taft texted his nephew, accusing Bahe of “catfishing” him.
Catfishing is when someone poses online as someone else, typically trying to get romantic attention or money.
Taft reportedly tried texting other family members, telling them that he was trying to bring Bahe back to her home and end the date.
Court documents did not specify what Bahe’s profile looked like and what Taft was expecting his family to do in response to his claim.
But the Daily Mail reported the pair continued to drive around the city through the afternoon, stopping at a gas station and a marijuana dispensary before driving to his apartment.
Surveillance Video Captures Fatal Moments
Surveillance footage obtained by police showed Taft getting out of his SUV, giving Bahe the opportunity to hop into the driver’s seat.
Police told Daily Mail that Taft was seen trying to stop the vehicle by standing in front of it, but Bahe allegedly accelerated and ran him over before leaving him behind in the parking lot.
He died at the hospital hours later, according to police.
The Daily Mail reported that Taft was a father of four.
After she fled the scene, police said they tracked Bahe down three days later in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Prosecutors Say Crash Appeared Intentional
During her arraignment this week, prosecutors said the surveillance footage from the scene showed Bahe “intentionally struck” Taft with his own vehicle.
“Certainly, looked like it was intentional, as she was accelerating even though the victim was in the front of the car with his hands up,” prosecutors said.
WHAM reported Bahe was allegedly seen at Sky Harbor International Airport the day after Taft died, boarding a transport van to Flagstaff, where she was arrested.
It’s unclear why she was going to Flagstaff.
When interviewed by Phoenix police, the Daily Mail reported Bahe said she only remembered being picked up by Taft and visiting a dispensary, but claimed not to remember running him over or leaving the scene.
Taft’s daughter, Briana Fallon, told 12News that she was shocked by the sudden loss of her father.
The Daily Mail reported Fallon was told Bahe appeared to be trying to steal her father’s car before running him over.
“She hit him and then just left,” she said. “It is honestly hard to even fathom, it sounds like this is just a story that you read but never happens to somebody you know. It doesn’t feel real.”
Bahe is being held on a $1 million bond.
