Three medical staffers at Strong Memorial Hospital and two UR security officers were injured August 26 after being struck by a car near the Whipple Park Entrance to the Medical Center off Crittenden Boulevard.
Two of the five victims were injured critically, according to UR Security.
The driver, Laquanna Perry, was arrested by police on a charge of first degree assault and is being held in the Monroe County jail on $70,000 bail.
According to witnesses, Perry and another female were arguing near the entrance on Crittenden Blvd., when Perry got into her car and followed the other female as she was walking east along Crittenden Blvd.
Perry continued arguing as she drove in the wrong direction on the road.
At the Whipple Circle exit, Perry pulled her vehicle into the exit loop, blocking the other woman’s path, according to UR Security investigator Dan Lafferty.
The woman then struck Perry in the face through an open window of the car. Perry responded by backing up, and then driving forward, resulting in injuries to the other woman and a security officer, according to Lafferty.
The car ran over the officer and pinned him beneath a traffic sign. Perry then sped the wrong way around the traffic circle and turned westbound onto Crittenden Blvd. driving towards the exit.
Witnesses report Perry accelerated, jumped the curb, drove onto the sidewalk and toward a group of people who had responded to assist the fallen officer.
Perry drove her vehicle into this group, striking three hospital employees before driving away, according to security.
A second security officer sustained injury when he attempted to prevent Perry from leaving by reaching into her car. The officer was dragged by the car for a short distance before falling onto the roadway.
All of those injured were transported to Strong Memorial Hospital Emergency Department where three were treated and released later in the evening. The other two, a nurse manager at Strong Hospital and the first security officer, were hospitalized in critical condition in the intensive care unit.
Currently, Perry remains in custody at Monroe County jail and her case will be presented to the Monroe County grand jury, according to security.
The hospitalized nurse was discharged late last week, and the security officer was discharged to a rehabilitation unit on the morning of Sept. 11.
According to Lafferty, there was a tremendous outpouring of well wishes, prayers and caring expressed by the university community which were both appreciated and helpful to family, friends and co-workers.
Bag filled with valuables stolen
A student in Susan B. Anthony Hall reported that between Aug. 30 at 10 p.m., and the next day at 2:30 p.m. an unidentified suspect entered her room and stole a black bag which looks similar to bags used for laptop computers.
This bag contained two musical instruments valued at an estimated $4,700. Additional musical items, calculators, a CD player, 50 CDs and other items bring the total estimated value to $6,170, according to Lafferty.
According to the victim, her room door was closed and locked during the time period. Security officers found no signs of forced entry.
Three laptops stolen in four days
Between Aug. 30 and Sept. 2, three reports of stolen laptop computers were filed with UR Security.
In all three cases, rooms were left unattended during the time frame the thefts occurred.
Two of the laptops were stolen from third and fourth floor rooms in Sue B and the third from a first floor room in Gilbert Hall.
In the third incident, the student returned to his room and encountered a person in his room trying to exit through a window with his laptop. The student, accompanied by some friends, pursued the suspect who dropped the laptop in the grass area between the Goergen Athletic Center and Wilson Blvd., according to Lafferty.
The other two laptops have a combined value of $5,000. The Rochester Police Department was notified of these incidents.
Information provided by UR Security.
Schnee can be reached at cschnee@campustimes.org.
