A woman was sentenced to nine years in prison after purposely running over two people in River North, chasing one down with her car and trapping the other against a gas pump.
Rolanda Wilder, 57, pled guilty to two charges of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery in exchange for the sentence imposed by Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez, who ordered her to serve 85% of the term.
In a media statement issued shortly after the April 6, 2024, collision, CPD stated that a driver “lost control of her vehicle” and struck a woman on the pavement before hitting a male “who was standing outside of a gas station.” But that is not what happened.
According to prosecutors, just before 4 p.m., Wilder ran over a 29-year-old River North woman on the sidewalk in the 200 block of West Chicago Avenue. The woman informed police that she tried to get out of the way, but Wilder steered her Toyota RAV4 directly toward her.
Wilder then drove across Chicago Avenue to the BP station at 750 North Wells Avenue, where she exited her SUV and punched a 19-year-old Bloomington woman in the face “multiple times,” according to prosecutors. She then “exchanged words” with a 58-year-old man outside the station before returning to her SUV and driving into him, pinning him against a gas pump, according to a CPD report. The man has two broken ribs.
According to officials, Wilder exited the SUV again and began walking away from the scene. A witness grabbed her and held her down until police arrived and took her into custody.
Wilder is likely to be released in November 2031, after receiving credit for time served while awaiting trial in the Cook County Jail.
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