The alleged driver, Unique Martinez, was due in court for a plea hearing on Tuesday, February 27, but she never showed up. The judge issued a bench warrant, asking law enforcement to arrest Martinez and bring her to court. A new hearing won't be scheduled until she is in custody.
Martinez, a 21-year-old Englewood resident, is facing charges of careless driving and leaving the scene of an accident, according to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
A viral video of the November 3 incident taken by Devon Wittstruck shows a woman driving a Chrysler 300 through a fenced-in sidewalk on the 16th Street Mall near the intersection of Champa Street, seemingly trying to squeeze through to get around the road closure due to construction at the intersection. The chain-link fences scrape the sides of the car and blow out multiple tires.
I came downtown for the dinner but I stayed for the driver
byu/cyrpious inAbruptChaos
At one point, a passenger gets out of the car to try to help navigate, yelling at bystanders to stop taking videos as the driver gets stuck between the construction fence and the patio seating area of Modern Market.
"This is some serious shit," she shouts at those filming, later saying to the driver: "Dude, the cops are gonna come. Stop, dude, that's dumb as fuck."
Eventually, the driver forces the car through the narrow walkway and continues driving on the sidewalk before turning onto Champa Street, driving toward 15th Street and then crashing into another vehicle parked outside of Cheba Hut.
The accused driver in this viral incident failed to appear in court on Tuesday, February 27.
Devon Wittstruck
The wrecked car then takes off down Champa Street, nearly hitting other parked vehicles. While fleeing the scene of the accident, the driver leaves her passenger behind, who sprints after the driver, screaming for her to wait as bystanders laugh.
Martinez was arrested in connection with the case on November 13, ten days after the incident, according to police. She was formally charged on December 19.
