Angry Florida mom arrested, jailed with no bond after trying to run over school staff member with her car

(Tarajayne Samuels-Catalan, booking photo, Image credit:  Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office)

The mother of a Florida high school student was arrested following an incident at Port Charlotte High School in which she attempted to hit a staff member with her vehicle – after that staff member gave her directions on how to properly leave the high school parking lot.

On Tuesday, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) shared that on November 2, the parent of a Port Charlotte High School student dropped her child off at school. The woman, identified as 42-year-old Tarajayne Samuels-Catalan, then attempted to exit the parking lot the same way she entered. A staff member stopped the woman and advised that she could not exit that way due to buses coming in to unload students.

This exchange agitated the woman, who eventually backed up and turned her vehicle around, leading the staff member to believe she was leaving as instructed. During the interaction between Samuels-Catalan and the school staff member, a bus began pulling in but was forced to wait for Samuels-Catalan’s vehicle to clear the area. Once clear, the bus continued on its route to let students off.

As the bus passed, the woman then turned her vehicle in the direction of the staff member and hit the gas, revving the engine and traveling at a high rate of speed toward him.

That staff member was forced to dive into some bushes to evade the oncoming vehicle. The staff member was able to report the incident, and included Samuels-Catalan’s license plate number in the report to the School Resource Deputy, prompting an investigation.

A witness who had observed the incident, along with security footage reviewed, corroborated the report of the victim. Deputies met with Samuels-Catalan on Tuesday, November 7, and interviewed her regarding the incident. Samuels-Catalan stated that she prefers to go out through the entry to avoid speed bumps in the exit area that cause damage to her vehicle. She denied attempting to strike the victim with her vehicle.

“The pick-up and drop-off lines at the schools are frustrating at times, but we absolutely will not cut corners on ensuring the safety of the students and staff. I am glad that our victim here is uninjured, and I hope that this mother rethinks the example she is setting for her child.”  ~ Sheriff Bill Prummell, CCSO

Tarajayne Samuels-Catalan was taken into custody and charged with Aggravated Assault on a Public or Private Education Employee. Following her arrest and charges,  she was being held at the Charlotte County Jail without bond.

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(Source and Tarajayne Samuels-Catalan booking photo, CCSO)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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