Fayetteville police have identified the woman who attacked an officer and stole his police cruiser Monday.
Ayana Kenyatta Taylor, 21, of Union, N.J., remains in Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for evaluation, Fayetteville Police Department spokesman Lt. Todd Joyce said.
When Taylor is released she will be charged with assault on a government official with a deadly weapon, larceny of a motor vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, resist, delay and obstruct a law enforcement officer and various traffic offenses, Joyce said.
Taylor is accused of assaulting an unidentified police officer with scissors.
The officer arrived in the area of Camp Ground Road near Nix Road at 5:20 p.m. after receiving calls about someone there carrying a suspicious weapon.
Taylor was discovered carrying the scissors and a hammer, Joyce said.
During the incident, a person, also unidentified by police, assisted the officer in attempts to disarm and arrest Taylor.
A Taser was deployed but was ineffective on Taylor, police said.
That's when she was able to get into the police car and drive away from the area near MarketFair Mall. Taylor crashed the car into several other cars on Skibo Road near the intersection with Morganton Road.
As an officer's Taser was deployed, the Police Department will conduct a use of force investigation, as is protocol for all deployments. The officer's status with the department remains unchanged at this time, Joyce said.
During a press conference regarding an unrelated shooting, Police Chief Harold Medlock addressed questions about Taylor's mental state.
"It's not against the law for people to be mentally ill," Medlock said.
Medlock said police do not have the right to do extra policing on people who may be mentally ill.
Taylor's family should have sought treatment for her if they believed it was necessary, Medlock said.
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
