(Pa) Teen denies charges she tried to run down kids in school lot

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A woman was driving under the influence when she tried to run over two children in a school parking lot and made racial slurs about one of the youths, authorities said. Haley Jankowski, 18, of Bethel Park, faces numerous charge stemming from the June 2 altercation in the western Pennsylvania community. She has denied the allegations, saying she was not trying to hit the youths but instead was trying to flee the scene because a large crowd was converging on her car and throwing bricks and rocks at it.

Jankowski drove a 16-year-old boy to the Neil Armstrong Middle School because he planned to fight another youth there, authorities said. When she arrived in the parking lot, a group of youths apparently began throwing items at her car. Jankowski then started driving circles around two of the youths before driving to the other end of the parking lot, authorities said. She then turned around and drove at the two youths, who were able to get out of the way, but soon lost control of the car, which crashed through a fence before going over a hillside. She also reportedly used racial slurs toward a black youth, authorities said.

Jankowski — who authorities say does not have a valid driver’s license — and the teen she was driving were treated at a hospital for minor injuries. No other injuries were reported.

Jankowski faces numerous charges, including child endangerment, ethnic imitation and reckless endangerment.

https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-1947a0801ac21cbfaeba03d8f73de726