Woman allegedly runs over ex-boyfriend's pregnant girlfriend

A Los Angeles woman is in custody for attempting to kill her ex-boyfriend’s pregnant girlfriend by running her over, killing the unborn child,  police said.

Monica Mercado, 27, turned herself in at the Los Angeles Police Department’s Newton station Sunday, hours after she allegedly used her sport utility vehicle to try and run down a 24-year-old woman who was dating her ex-boyfriend, police said.

Witnesses told authorities that Mercado and the woman, who was seven months pregnant, got into an argument Sunday morning. Mercado then drove her black Range Rover and struck the woman near the intersection of East 102nd Street and Towne Avenue in South Los Angeles at about 10:30 a.m., “causing her serious injuries and the death of her unborn child,” according to an LAPD news release.

Mercado is being held in lieu of $500,000 bail and “charges are pending for the death of the unborn infant,” according to the release. Police said the 24-year-old woman carrying the child was hospitalized in stable condition.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz

Comments

[Lana]

If convicted she won't have to worry about her ex-boyfriend for a long time. Idiot.

[Edward]

Was she hit, or was she run over? There is a BIG difference. Being run over means the wheels of the vehicle pass over you, which chances are, you'll die! Being "hit" is not the same as being run over, since you can easily survive. I hate that the media captures our attention by saying "run over", when in reality it's not the truth!!!!

[tony]

And a little baby has to pay for this. Too sad. People are absolute idiots

[U CALL THAT JOURNALISM?!]

"Run over" is slang for, in this case, impacted by a moving vehicle and perhaps passing under its tires or body.

We could use a more accurate phase in the language. Since cars move by rolling, not running, perhaps rolled over could be a start?

[MexiChick]

Sad case of domestic violence. The woman had a hard time letting go of her ex. Why take it out on an unborn child? Very sad.

[Noel Bernard]

Edward, you idiot. What difference does it make?

[2 cents]

UNBORN CHILD! - I thought them things were choices, or tissue, or blobs of something, or something ...

[Mark]

Edward, why don't you go lay down in front of a bus and I'll check to see if the media gets it right. Patiently waiting.

[elsey]

diz iz a tragedy.. very sad

[Smart Car]

Unless she was "runned" over by a smart car. The chances of the smart car surviving would be very little and she could easily dust herself off.

[Chicka]

If I went bouncing off the hood of a car going 50 mph, I would not survive it. It wouldn't matter at that point if the tires went over me or not.

I fail to see how the story would not capture our attention, being that the woman "impacted by a vehicle of a wheel-like nature" was pregnant.

[Eileen]

To the Times editor: Regarding the reference to "the 24-year-old woman carrying the child" -- couldn't you just call her "the victim," especially since she miscarried? Seems concise and more accurate.

Also, I hate the fact that in cases like this women perpetrators are always in a "jealous rage." (In other stories, women are often described as mothers or grandmothers when it's irrelevant to the story.) These things do not apply to men.

[Stanley]

You guys are funny. I woman lost her unborn child, that's the story. Whether wheels ran over her or not is secondary. I would file murder charges.

[Cody]

This story has an incorrect headline so people will click on it. It is subtle but it is still dishonest.

[newscensorboi]

We need to take these assault SUVs out of the hands of women. Too much power for a woman to wield - it enables them to commit violent crimes they otherwise would not consider commiting.

[sarah]

Edward said: "Being "hit" is not the same as being run over, since you can easily survive."
did you miss the part in the article where it says she lost her baby? why are you concerned with semantics when there is death involved? it seems being hit was quite enough in this case.
odd comment.

[sparkey]

Prison justice awaits this woman. If a woman has an abortion, that's one thing, but if a woman kills another woman's unborn child, the inmates don't take too kindly to it. She is going to have a very rough time during her very brief stay in the big house.

[Jim in Santa Barbara]

A Range Rover no less - how chic. I'm sure she paid cash for it...

[chris]

i applaud the latimes for displaying women as every equal of men. perhaps more documented events of female rage will convince family courts that women are just as capable of being monsters as men. i concede victory to N.O.W. . women are my every equal!

the good thing about this story is that a man wasn't blamed for it. somehow i'm sure it won't be long before a man is blamed for the outragious acts of a jealous woman though.

[John O'Hara]

Is there a way to turn off this comment section. i want to just read the story not see a bunch of comments from the peanut gallery.

[Jim Webb]

It's horrible what this woman was capable off, but not that surprising. It's true that violence that women commit is underreported, and women are rarely sentenced to the same extent for the identical crimes as men.

According to American Psychiatric Association women are far more likely then men to initiate non-reciprocal violence and are often the aggressors:

Men Shouldn't Be Overlooked as Victims of Partner Violence
http://pn.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/42/15/31-a

[zaray heard]

please pray for both families