What to Know
- A woman accused of nearly hitting an officer and crashing into a police cruiser near the U.S. Capitol appeared in court Thursday.
- Prosecutors charged the woman as Mia K. Hill and said her alias is Taleah Everett.
- Everett's defense attorney said she is mentally competent, but relatives told News4 she has suffered from mental illness.
A woman accused of causing a security scare near the U.S. Capitol last week was indicted Monday on eight charges.
Taleah Everett, 20, was arrested Wednesday morning after the incident, which began began when an officer saw someone driving erratically on Independence Avenue. The driver nearly hit the officer, Capitol Police said.
According to charging documents, Everett ran a red light and the officer tried to flag her down. Everett allegedly made an obscene hand gesture toward the officer and almost hit two pedestrians before proceeding to drive up Independence Avenue.
Police in cruisers and on foot chased Everett; authorities said she made a U-turn, drove the opposite way on Independence Avenue and crashed into a police cruiser, tearing the grille from the car. Police then put up barricades and surrounded the Chevrolet sedan when it came to a stop.
Charging documents said officers smashed out her windows while trying to get Everett out of the car, but she put the car into gear and tried to drive again. Officers then opened fire, which left two bullet holes in the front windshield of the Chevrolet.
The indictment against Everett includes five federal charges -- four counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal police officer with a dangerous weapon and one count of destruction of property of the U.S. -- and three D.C. charges. The local offenses are fleeing a law enforcement officer, reckless driving and destruction of property.
Hill, of no fixed address, first appeared in court last week, where a judge refused to grant a prosecutor's request to have her undergo a mental health evaluation.
She is being held without bond and is due back in court Tuesday afternoon for a detention.
Last week prosecutors charged Everett under a different name, Mia K. Hill. They said her alias is Taleah Everett, the name police gave reporters Wednesday. When a judge asked her for her name, the defendant identified herself as Taleah Michelle Everett.
Prosecutor Laura Crane asked the judge for a mental health screening to evaluate Everett's competency. Magistrate Judge Robin M. Meriweather declined to grant one after the federal public defender appointed to represent Everett, Tony Miles, said he had seen no reason to question her competency.
Everett told the judge she had no health issues that would interfere with her ability to understand the court proceedings. The judge did advise Miles to consider her mental health as the case proceeds.
Everett's Family Describes Mental Illness
Everett's aunt, Bonnie Everett, told News4 that Taleah Everett had serious mental health issues. The former Ballou High School student from Southeast D.C. had been diagnosed with bipolar depression and had psychotic behavior, she said.
Her family was desperate for help and tried to get help several times. Less than two weeks ago, Everett's aunt filed a petition at a Prince George's County courthouse for an emergency health evaluation. A judge denied the request, the young woman's aunt said.
"We know that she needs help. Unfortunately the judge didn't see that, and this is the result of her not getting the care that we know she desperately needed," she said.
Everett was due in court two days before the incident outside the U.S. Capitol for domestic violence charges, but she never appeared.
