A woman in Memphis, Tennessee, is accused of driving into the father of her children with a vehicle while five juvenile children were inside the car—then allegedly turning around and attempting to strike him again as horrified onlookers watched from the sidewalk.
The incident unfolded Tuesday afternoon along Mississippi Boulevard when witnesses saw Jasmine Nicole Lewis, 28, pull alongside a man walking south on the roadway in her black Nissan Sentra. According to witness statements documented in a Memphis Police Department affidavit, Lewis engaged the victim in what he described as a heated conversation—yelling at him about "an incident that happened prior."
Police allege Lewis then drove her vehicle directly into the victim, striking him with enough force to send him sprawling onto the pavement. The witness reported seeing Lewis turn her car around and attempt to run over the man a second time before crashing into a parked vehicle nearby. During the entire alleged attack, five juvenile children remained inside the Nissan Sentra, authorities said.
The victim was left shaken on the roadway as officers arrived at approximately 4:35 p.m., responding to the scene in front of Soulsville Kitchen & Market on East McLemore Avenue. He told police he had been hit by a vehicle and identified Jasmine Lewis as "his child's mother"—the woman responsible for striking him, according to court records reviewed by Law&Crime.
Background
The confrontation between Lewis and the victim appeared to stem from an ongoing dispute between the two co-parents. Court documents reference Lewis was "yelling at him about an incident that happened prior," suggesting tension had been building before Tuesday's alleged attack.
When officers located Lewis at the scene, she reportedly admitted to hitting the man with her vehicle but offered a startling claim in her defense: she alleged the victim struck her in the head with his fist first. Police did not document any visible injuries sustained by either party in their initial report. The incident left both vehicles damaged and five children exposed to what prosecutors describe as a volatile domestic situation.
The Charges
Lewis has been charged with aggravated assault, domestic assault causing bodily harm, and five counts of child abuse and neglect or endangerment, according to Shelby County court records. The aggregate charges reflect the severity of allegedly using a vehicle as a weapon against an intimate partner while minors were present in the car—factors that likely contributed to her $150,000 bond.
She was booked into the Shelby County Jail on Tuesday evening and scheduled to appear before Shelby County General Sessions Court for a bond hearing Friday morning. Prosecutors have not yet indicated whether they will seek elevated charges as the investigation continues.
Key Takeaways
- Jasmine Nicole Lewis, 28, has been charged with aggravated assault, domestic assault causing bodily harm, and five counts of child abuse and endangerment following the alleged attack on Mississippi Boulevard
- Police allege she struck the father of her children with her vehicle, then turned around and attempted to hit him again before crashing into a parked car
- All five juvenile children were inside the Nissan Sentra during both alleged attempts to strike the victim
- Lewis was booked into Shelby County Jail on $150,000 bond; bond hearing occurred Friday in General Sessions Court
- She claimed the victim struck her in the head with his fist before she hit him with her vehicle—a claim police have not corroborated
What's Next
Lewis will face preliminary hearings as prosecutors build their case around the alleged vehicular assault. With five children involved and domestic violence charges on the table, child welfare authorities may also become involved to determine the children's living situation and safety. The investigation remains active, and additional charges could follow as more evidence emerges about what led Lewis to allegedly target the father of her children twice with her vehicle.