Beatrice Spence's life changed forever Friday afternoon after a romantic rival ran her down -- severing her leg -- moments before her house caught fire and was destroyed, her family and police told NBC10.
The intentional hit-and-run took place at 2 p.m. outside Spence's home along the 4400 block of N. 17th Street in the Nicetown section of the city, police said.
The violent act left the 24-year-old, nicknamed De-De, with an amputated leg, according to police. It also left he lover bruised and her romantic rival behind bars.
"I heard a car rev up, and then I heard a bunch of people screaming," said neighbor Jayson Massey. "Honestly, I thought she was dead. She was not responsive."
After striking Spence, surveillance video showed a white Dodge Durango speeding off eastbound on Wingohocking Street, police said. The driver of the Durango, who lives a few blocks away, knew the victim and drove up on the curb to strike her, investigators said.
As the Durango barreled toward Spence, a 37-year-old man chased after her in an attempt to keep her on the porch.
The victim's family told NBC10 that the driver, later identified by police as Precious Richardson Coleman and the victim were in an ongoing fight over the man — recently throwing bricks at each other's windows.
"She came back — the driver came back and she ran her over. She ran her over," exclaimed relative Ruby Fields.
The crash left Spence without a leg and the man with minor scrapes and bruises, said police.
Immediately after the crash, the victim's mother rushed to the hospital leaving something cooking on the stove. The house then caught fire, said the family.
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No one was injured in blaze, which left the home uninhabitable.
Police began to search for Coleman, first they found her Durango with front-end damage parked along N Marvine Street early Saturday. Later that morning, police arrested Coleman at the 29-year-old's Van Pelt Street home.
Coleman was sent to county jail after being unable to post $750,000 bail after a judge arraigned her on two counts of attempted murder.
