Police in Delaware say a case of sibling rivalry turned deadly when a teen ran down her younger brother with the family minivan.
Sheila Martinez-Rodriguez, 19, is charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of a personal injury accident and failure to report an accident in the Tuesday death of her brother, Jesus Martinez, 18.
According to police in Elsmere, about 47 miles north of Dover, Martinez-Rodriguez and her brother got into a heated argument Tuesday afternoon that spiraled out of control. The cause of the argument has not yet been released, but witnesses told police it escalated when one of the siblings grabbed a baseball bat.
Police say the argument ended when Martinez-Rodriguez got behind the wheel of the family minivan and ran her brother over.
Caught in the undercarriage of the vehicle, Martinez was dragged for about 100 feet before the vehicle came to a stop. Martinez-Rodriguez then allegedly abandoned the minivan and fled in another vehicle.
When first responders arrived on the scene they found Martinez pinned under the minivan. Rescuers freed the teen and transported him to Christiana Hospital, where he later died.
"It was a horrific scene," Elsmere Police Chief Laura Giles said at a Tuesday evening press conference. "The parents are probably, I'm sure, going through so much grief."
Authorities took Martinez-Rodriguez into custody at a nearby McDonald's restaurant. The teen was freed late Tuesday on a $25,000 unsecured bond. It’s not yet known if she has an attorney.
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