A Kentucky woman is in jail without bond after she drove her Tesla into a crowd of pedestrians outside a bar near Short and Mill Streets in Lexington just before 2:15 a.m. on Sunday, March 22.
Kaydence Carpenter, from Frankfort, faces 4 felony charges. Shocking cell phone video shows a crowd surrounding a black Model 3 Tesla. Several guys kicked the Tesla and one man hopped on the hood of the car before sliding off.
As more people surrounded her car, Carpenter, 20, revved the electric motor and drove forward several times before stopping. Then she pressed the accelerator and drove over a curb, striking four pedestrians before driving the wrong way on Short Street.
?SHOCKING FOOTAGE shows the moment 20-year-old Kaydence Carpenter drove her Tesla into a crowd that had surrounded her vehicle in the early hours of Sunday morning in Lexington, KY.pic.twitter.com/Q69Ky0klmB
— Red Line News (@RedLineNewsUSA) March 23, 2026
Four people were treated at a local hospital for possibly life-threatening injuries. Police caught up with Carpenter and took her into custody without resistance.
Carpenter is seen smiling in her booking mugshot. She faces 4 counts of second-degree assault, DUI, wanton endangerment, and reckless driving.
The bar that sold her alcohol was cited for allowing a person under the age of 21 on the premises where alcohol is sold.
A friend launched a GoFundMe to help Carpenter raise money for her legal defense.
Johnny Danes said Carpenter “found herself in a terrifying situation when a crowd surrounded her car.”
“I am not here to excuse every decision made that night, but I’m here to ensure that she has a fair chance at justice and proper legal representation in today’s political climate,” he wrote.
Danes added that Carpenter “is a beautiful young woman whose entire bright future could be dimmed by a situation not even created by her, but one she was thrown into.”
He said all funds will go “toward legal fees and helping out those who care for Kaydence to ensure Kaydence receives a fair defense.”
