Woman accused of driving into suspected package thief
A Northern California woman was arrested after police said she crashed her car into another woman who she believed had stolen packages from her home.
The San Pablo Police Department revealed on Saturday that the female pedestrian had died — about three weeks after the incident.
Authorities say Dene Blakely was involved in a verbal altercation with the victim prior to the crash. Blakely reportedly confronted the woman, claiming she was the person who stole a package from her home. It's unclear if the woman was actually the person who took a package from Blakely's home.
"The altercation escalated and resulted in the subsequent collision," the police department said in a statement.
Blakely was arrested after officers said they were able to determine the crash was an "intentional act of assault.
She was initially charged with assault with a deadly weapon. However, that charge was upgraded to attempted murder as the victim remained in the hospital.
The police department said on Saturday that the charge was amended again. Blakely is now charged with murder and assault with a deadly weapon.
She is being held at the West County Detention Facility in Richmond, California, on a $1 million bond.
