Woman Says She Ran Over Teen 'Because She Was Mexican': Police

CLIVE, IA — Authorities are considering hate crime charges against a Des Moines woman who admitted she intentionally ran over a 14-year-old because she believed the girl was Mexican, authorities said.

Nicole Marie Poole Franklin, 42, has been charged with attempted murder in connection with the Dec. 9 incident that left the teenager hospitalized for two days with a concussion and severe bruising, according to The Associated Press and city officials. The girl had been walking to Indian Hills Junior High School to watch a basketball game.

Clive Police Chief Mike Venema said Franklin drove off the road, struck the girl and left without providing aid in what appears to have been a racially motivated attack.

"Franklin told investigators that she ran the girl over because she was, in her words, 'a Mexican.' She went on to make a number of derogatory statements about Latinos to the investigators," according to police.

Police identified Franklin as the hit-and-run driver after getting word a woman in a matching car had been arrested and charged with assault at a gas station in West Des Moines about an after after the incident, Venema told reporters Friday.

Staff said she had made a series of racial slurs while vandalizing the store, ripping open bags of food and stealing merchandise before police arrived, KCCI reported.

Clive Mayor Scott Cirksena issued a statement Friday condemning the act and thanking police and school officials.

"On behalf of the entire Clive community, we condemn this egregious act and reaffirm our commitment to helping all people of good will live hopeful and optimistic lives. We are grateful that the victim is safe and recovering with her family," Cirksena said.

"It is extremely disturbing to see this kind of violence in our City or any community, especially when it’s directed at a child, but we’re not going to look away. We recognize this hate, we reject it, and we will overcome it. Our shared values of kindness, decency, appreciation of diverse identities, and justice are strong and we are absolutely committed to caring for one another."

The girl is expected to make a full recovery, according to The AP. She told reporters she has no memory of the impact but remembered the car coming at her.

Franklin was ordered held at Polk County Jail in lieu of a $1 million bail. She is due back in court Dec. 30.