The woman accused of driving past barricades and through the crowded Main Street Festival in Laurel, Maryland, will remain in jail for now.
Kai Deberry-Bostick, 28, faces multiple charges after she allegedly ignored police commands and drove her vehicle into the closed-off festival area on Saturday.
According to court documents, Deberry-Bostick approached traffic barrels marked with police tape at an apartment complex and told an officer she needed to get through. Despite being told she couldn’t leave the parking lot, body camera footage reportedly shows her removing the tape, arguing with the officer, and inching her car forward until it made contact with the officer, who was trying to block her path.
She then proceeded to drive through the festival, with attendees seen moving out of her way while yelling for her to stop. Deberry-Bostick could be heard saying “excuse me” as she drove through the crowd. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
At one point, an officer attempted to open her door to remove her from the vehicle, but she shut it and continued driving. Her progress was eventually halted by fire trucks and vendors blocking the road. Laurel firefighters stood in front of her car, demanding she stop.
Deberry-Bostick reportedly resisted arrest, attempting to switch to the passenger seat, avoid handcuffs, and escape while officers escorted her through the event.
She later told police she didn’t intend to hit anyone and didn’t believe she had done anything wrong, according to the documents.
Laurel Police Chief Russ Hamill expressed relief that no one was hurt and defended his officers’ response, stating they acted appropriately in a rapidly escalating situation. He pushed back on online criticism, saying, “It’s easy to ‘Monday morning quarterback’… Those people weren’t there.”
Deberry-Bostick is charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest, disturbing the peace, and disobeying law enforcement. Her trial is set for July 18.
