Friends and family of a woman hit and killed on McKinney Avenue last year are pleading for the driver responsible for her death to admit to his crime. If that does not happen, they hope someone turns him in.
According to friends of 21-year-old Jasmine Hassan, they were leaving an Uptown bar on March 22, 2021, when she was hit by a car. The driver of the vehicle — a white Chevy Camaro — had allegedly approached Hassan to talk to her and get her phone number. Hassan refused, leading to an argument between her and the driver.
Friend Alesha Preston said the guy drove off but returned as they walked on. During the second encounter, Hassan got into another argument with the man, who had reportedly gotten aggressive after her rejection. Hassan, intoxicated, leaned inside the driver’s window, and according to friends, the man drove off while part of her body was still inside his car. Hassan lost her bearing, was knocked to the ground, and the car ran over her body.
“She did not deserve that,” said India Porter, who insists that the hit was not an accident. “He accelerated like literally accelerated like over her head,” she continued.
Shortly after the incident, Dallas police released a photo of the 2009-2013 stock Camaro, asking for the public’s help in apprehending him. However, the man remains at large more than a year after the incident.
Hassan’s mother, Tana Knutson, described her as “everybody’s sunshine.” She told NBC 5 that Hassan, who was only 21 years old when she died, had her life abruptly cut short as “she didn’t get to have kids or get married.”
Knutson said she and others left in mourning by Hassan’s death need closure. She wants to know why her daughter was killed and says that “it would mean the world” if someone turned the driver in.
Police are still investigating the case and asking for information that could lead them to the driver.
They said that they may not have charged the driver with any criminal charges if he had stopped after hitting Hassan. However, they currently plan to charge him with an accident involving death.
The sum of $5,000 is up for grabs courtesy of Crimestoppers for tips that lead to an arrest.