A woman who intentionally ran over two people in River North, chasing one down with her car and pinning another against a gas pump, has been sentenced to nine years in prison.
Rolanda Wilder, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of attempted murder and one count of aggravated battery in exchange for the sentence from Judge Laura Ayala-Gonzalez, who ordered her to serve 85% of the time.
In a media statement released shortly after the April 6, 2024, crash, CPD said a driver “lost control of her vehicle” and struck a woman on the sidewalk before hitting a man “who was standing outside of a gas station.” But that’s not what happened.
According to prosecutors, just before 4 p.m., Wilder intentionally ran over a 29-year-old River North woman on the sidewalk in the 200 block of West Chicago Avenue. The woman told police 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 got out of her SUV and punched a 19-year-old Bloomington woman in the face “multiple times,” prosecutors said. She then “exchanged words” with a 58-year-old man outside the station before returning to her SUV and driving into the man, pinning him against a gas pump, according to a CPD report. The man suffered two broken ribs.
Wilder got out of the SUV again and began walking away from the scene, officials said. A witness grabbed her and held her on the ground until police arrived and took her into custody.
With credit for time earned while awaiting trial in the Cook County Jail, Wilder is expected to be released in November 2031.
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