Lauderdale sheriff: Girl, 12, stole mother’s car, ran over deputy

Published 11:18 am Friday, August 17, 2018

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi sheriff says a 12-year-old girl stole her mother’s car and ran over a deputy trying to stop her.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie tells news outlets Sgt. Kris Cokel was released from a hospital after being treated for a fractured wrist and other injuries. He says the girl struck the deputy Wednesday night at a trailer park near Meridian.

Sollie says deputies had placed spike strips in the road several times to flatten the tires as she drove in loops around the trailer park.

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The sheriff says a deputy fired gunshots to try to stop the vehicle after Cokel was hit. He says the deputy wasn’t shooting at the girl.

The girl was taken to a juvenile facility. The state Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.