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A Rhode Island woman was arrested Thursday in connection with a road rage incident caught on video earlier this week in which a mother traveling with her 8-year-old daughter was allegedly dragged out of her car and beaten by a group of ATV and dirt bike riders, according to reports.
Shyanne Boisvert, 24, of North Providence, was charged with one count of simple assault and one count of disorderly conduct following the brutal assault in Providence of the 35-year-old woman, who was also traveling with a puppy and a friend, police told the Boston Globe.
Police in Cranston notified detectives of Boisvert's whereabouts after she called their station on an unrelated matter.
The alleged beating occurred around 11 p.m. Tuesday in the Smith Hill neighborhood, where the victim encountered a group of approximately 10 ATV and dirt bike riders. The bikers had failed to move after the light turned green, so the 35-year-old woman honked at them, according to a police report.
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Shyanne Boisvert, 24, of Rhode Island, was arrested Thursday in connection with an alleged road rage incident earlier this week, authorities say. (Providence Police)
Soon after, the victim stopped at another traffic light, where the group allegedly surrounded her car and prevented her from moving forward, the police report stated. Several riders then opened the driver's side door, dragged her onto the street, and started assaulting her, according to the Globe. After the attack, the bikers drove away and left her in the road, the report added.
Cellphone video obtained by Providence's WLNE-TV appeared to show the victim on her knees in the street, as an unidentified assailant punches her repeatedly.
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
Following the attack, local leaders called on officials to address the violence in Providence.
"As local leaders, we owe it to our community to create systems which ensure that our city is a safe place to live and work. A woman driving in her car with her infant child should not have to fear being a victim of brutal physical violence," said Providence Councilman David Salvatore in a statement. "The gun violence, the physical attacks, and reckless behavior of individuals in our city have resulted in grief, loss, and fear in our community. It is time for the city to take decisive action to put a stop to this senseless violence and better serve the people trying to make a home in the city of Providence."
To address the wave of violent crime, City Council President John Igliozzi on Thursday sent a letter to Gov. Dan McKee, a Democrat, urging him to let Rhode Island State Police troopers assist Providence Police.
"This wave of violent crime is unacceptable, and we need to act immediately to restore public safety and make our city’s residents once again feel safe walking and sitting outside in their own neighborhoods," wrote Igliozzi. "Like the rest of Rhode Island, the capital city re-opened in recent months as the pandemic improved, and residents and visitors alike have resumed dining out, listening to live music, and patronizing our small businesses."
"Unfortunately, our police department is stretched thin, with only 400 police officers, down from the approximately 500 officers we had during the period Providence successfully implemented community policing — one of the main drivers behind the decline in violent crime in the city during the 2000s," the letter added.
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Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza described the attack as "awful."
He said the city will dedicate all available resources to get "illegal ATVs off our streets and to bring those responsible to justice."
"Our police department has seized and destroyed over 200 bikes and we will continue to pull over and arrest people who are using these bikes illegally," Elorza added.
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Boisvert is a known suspect to police and was one of three people arrested in January after a Cranston officer was pushed, surrounded, and run over -- while responding to dozens of "recklessly driven motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles," according to the paper. She was accused of pushing the officer.
An investigation into Tuesday's incident is ongoing.
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