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Road-Rage Driver Caught On Tape Smashing Bus Windows Is Mentally Ill, Uncle Says
Mariana Silver was unmedicated when she smashed the windows of a Greyhound bus, her uncle said.
The uncle of a woman involved in a violent road-rage episode caught on camera in Washington, D.C. claims his niece suffers from mental illness and needs help, according to reports.
District police on Friday released video of the incident, which took place the day before. Prior to the camera rolling, a young woman driving an Audi, since identified as 20-year-old Mariana Silver, had been driving erratically through the city when a Greyhound bus driver took umbrage, McClatchy reports.
“You’re a crazy driver, you need to get off the road,” the driver told Silver at about 6 p.m., as they were both stopped on Bladensburg Road, according to a public incident report obtained by Oxygen.com.
In the video, Silver is seen grabbing what looks like a carjack from her vehicle, though police identified it as a “wooden baseball bat” in the report. She then proceeds to attack the bus, smashing its driver-side window and side-view mirror as passengers look on in awe.
“She’s going to f-----g jail,” a woman can be heard saying in the video.
After she’s done busting up the bus, she can be seen getting back into her car while the bus driver stands in front of it, blocking her way, while apparently calling police about the situation.
Undeterred by the human roadblock, Silver drives forward, causing the Greyhound driver to roll over her hood. Nearby witnesses and passengers on the bus, including the person recording the encounter, are seen rushing to the man's aid.
The collision left the driver bruised and scratched on his elbow, and reported hip pain following the incident, McClatchy reports.
While Silver remained at large for a short time, she was eventually tracked down and booked Friday on charges of assault with a deadly weapon, NBC Washington reports, adding that she appeared in court on Saturday and is being held without bond.
Her uncle, Seth Silver, claims his niece suffers from schizophrenia and was not on medication during the ugly encounter. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, people suffering from schizophrenia may experience “thought disorders” and “lose touch with some aspects of reality.”
"As long as I’ve known her, I’ve never seen her like this," he told NBC Washington, adding that he was shocked by the behavior she exhibited in the footage. “I pray that everybody will understand she’s a young girl. Everybody makes mistakes.”
[Screen Shot:DC Police Department]
