'She Had To Protect Herself': Woman Suspected Of South Philadelphia Drag Race Hit-And-Run Fled Scene After Receiving Threats, Lawyer Says
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Scranton woman suspected of a hit-and-run at a South Philadelphia drag race turned herself into police. The driver in the drag racing incident spoke with investigators for nearly two hours on Friday.
Tire marks show the route of a crash of drag racing on 3rd Street in South Philadelphia. Broken glass shows the site of a crash that left a female onlooker injured.
"It was just an accident, fishtail," attorney Jordan Freeman said.
Freeman, the attorney for Albana Kabashi, described what happened moments before the crash early Saturday morning. The video was released by Philadelphia Police earlier this week.
It shows the victim lying on the ground after being hit by a car. Freeman admits Kabashi came from Scranton for the drag race and admits she is the one behind the wheel. She eventually drove away from the accident.
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Kabashi didn't speak to cameras after speaking to police. her lawyer says she had no choice but to leave.
"I feel it was in her best interest, and as we discussed with police, that was almost necessary and inherent," Freeman said.
There's no sound on the video, but police say Kabashi was told by people there to leave. Freeman says Kabashi's hair was pulled and people tried to grab her steering wheel. He says they discussed that with police.
"There was no admission of wrongdoing. It was mostly threats of physical violence and not knowing anyone there so she had to protect herself, and right or wrong, that had to include her leaving the scene," Freeman said.
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The vehicles racing only got a few hundred feet before the crash. The driver said that while she's sorry for what happened, she isn't admitting guilt.
"We're sorry that she was injured. We're told by multiple individuals that she is OK. She was released very quickly after she went to the hospital and that she's fine and we wish her a speedy recovery," Freeman said.
Investigators say charges could still be pending depending on Friday's interview.
CBS3's Howard Monroe reports.
