According to records from the Pierce County Superior Court in Washington State, 35-year-old Janieka Amber Marie Ellington is facing charges of four counts of first-degree attempted murder, two counts of vehicular assault, and one count of felony harassment involving a threat to kill.
The prosecution alleges that Ellington attempted to stab or cut her daughters and tried to crash a vehicle to kill them. Ellington reportedly has two daughters aged 15 and 10, according to court documents and news reports.
A rollover accident occurred on Interstate 5 south near DuPont on Monday morning, as reported by Seattle’s FOX 13 TV station.
Witnesses claimed that after the accident, Ellington chased her teenage daughter with a knife and threatened to kill her.
Two soldiers and a passerby disarmed Ellington and restrained her until Washington State Patrol arrived, as per reports.
Sergeant Ricardo A. Nunez from the 7th Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord told FOX 13, “I just did my part. I’m lucky I was able to help those two girls; I happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
FOX 13 reported that shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday, police received a report of an SUV driving erratically near mile marker 118.
Media initially reported that the SUV hit a concrete barrier, veered off the road onto the right shoulder, crossed back into traffic, collided with a semi-truck, hit the barrier again, and rolled over near the 118th exit on Center Drive.
According to court records, Ellington told hospital staff and officers that she had been drinking whiskey the night before and hadn’t slept before driving.
One of her daughters told investigators that Ellington believed they were being followed before the crash.
FOX 13 reported that the 10-year-old girl suffered multiple fractures and stab wounds, while the 15-year-old girl was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Witness Nathan Wilkinson told KING 5 TV that he was driving to work and saw two men in Joint Base Lewis-McChord military uniforms intervene at the scene.
Wilkinson said, “There were a few people around, and suddenly after a flash, two soldiers rushed towards a person… I heard a scream and saw one of the soldiers holding a knife, which he had taken from the person who was tackled.”
According to KING 5, Wilkinson called 911, and bystanders subdued the woman.
Ellington faces charges of attempted murder, including two counts of intending to cause death through stabbing or cutting and two counts of intending to cause death through a car crash, according to the indictment.
The prosecution also accuses her of domestic violence and aggravating circumstances, including Ellington’s abuse of a position of trust and the victims’ vulnerable or helpless state.
Court records show that a competency evaluation was ordered for Ellington on Tuesday, with a competency evaluation hearing set for October 20.
(This article references reports from FOX NEWS)