Background: The aftermath of the alleged car ramming on March 22, 2026 (WKYT/YouTube). Inset: Kaydence Carpenter (Fayette County Detention Center).
A woman drove drunk into a crowd of people in a Kentucky parking lot during a night out before continuing down a one-way street, authorities say.
Kaydence Carpenter, 20, faces several charges, including operating a vehicle under the influence, reckless driving, and second-degree assault, Lexington CBS affiliate WKYT reported. She bonded out of the Fayette County Detention Center but appeared in court this week, where details of the allegations against her were laid bare.
Lexington Police Officer Amelia Hardy testified that she was working in the early morning hours of March 22 when she heard something in a parking lot. A group of people was gathered at Short and Mill streets in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.
"I observed a black passenger car drive over the yellow-marked curb into a crowd of people that were all on the side wall," she said, detailing how four people approached officers, describing injuries to their heads, legs, and even possibly paralysis.
Video of the incident showed a group of people surrounding a black sedan, which reversed before accelerating and appearing to turn slightly into a crowd, knocking two people to the ground. The car continued driving down what appeared to be a busy city street.
It apparently was a one-way street, and the driver was going the wrong way.
Officers arrested Carpenter, saying she smelled like alcohol and had slurred speech and that they found a fake ID in her car.
"She showed impaired judgment and relaxed inhibitions," Hardy said. "She began dancing for an individual who was video taping her."
Carpenter's attorney, however, pointed out that his client was surrounded, was punched, and that one of the other people appeared to have a gun, per WKYT. He noted that Hardy did not see any of this, only the events once Carpenter began driving over the curb.
The case is moving to a grand jury.
Law&Crime reached out to the Lexington Police Department for more information.
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