Louisville authorities say no charges will be filed against either driver in a viral road rage incident between a white man and a black woman.
This comes as the family of the woman called for the man’s arrest after they said he followed her through traffic and attacked her while her one-year-old daughter was inside her vehicle.
Tenaya Stanford said the confrontation began on Sept. 30 while she was driving with her young daughter. According to the family, the motorcyclist followed her, blocked her in traffic, and eventually got off his motorcycle before confronting her outside the vehicle.
She said tearfully about the incident, “I did nothing to him. I don’t know him. He was being hateful toward me. And of course, I have to defend myself at the end of the day.”
Partial video of the confrontation has circulated on social media. WLKY reported that it reviewed the footage but did not air it because the station had not received permission to broadcast it.
The video appears to show a man striking the young woman with an object in the middle of a roadway before swinging her around as she appeared to fight back.
During a news conference, Councilmember Tammy Hawkins described what she said happened while Stanford, 20, stood behind her.
“He grabs her by her hair, rips her out of the driver’s seat and drags her into the roadway,” Hawkins said. She said the man then used a heavy metal steering wheel lock to repeatedly strike Stanford in the middle of the street.
During a press conference last week, Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said his office made the decision to not bring charges based on whether prosecutors believed they could prove a criminal offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
“We do not make charging decisions based upon who speaks first, who speaks the loudest, what appears on social media, or what may be politically popular at that particular moment,” O’Connell said. “We make them based upon the facts, the law, and the evidence.”
Louisville Metro Police Chief Paul Humphrey said both people involved escalated the situation, saying he believes the entire incident “could and should have been avoided.”
Friends who watched the video defended Stanford, saying they did not believe she provoked the confrontation.
“I know my friend. She’s not going to provoke a situation,” Asia Gatewood said.
Louisville Metro Police initially documented the incident as harassment involving physical contact, a Class B misdemeanor. Police said officers responded to the scene, spoke with Stanford, and began gathering information about what happened.
The department said investigators later obtained surveillance footage that captured the incident and conducted additional interviews. Police also said they positively identified the other person involved, although they have not publicly released his name.
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg also condemned the violence, as reported by KTVB 7. “Violence is never the answer to any dispute, and there is no excuse for physically attacking another person,” he wrote.
