DETROIT — An incident that shook the local community in April 2012 has resurfaced this month, as Dearborn Heights woman Natalie Hassan completed trial at the Wayne County Circuit Court for an alleged assault with a vehicle that left another Dearborn Heights woman, Hanan Achkar, in critical condition last year.

Hassan, 25, has been out on bond since June 2012, after a preliminary examination was held at the 20th District Court, where evidence had been gathered for charges that included assault with intent to murder, assault to do great bodily harm, reckless driving and assault with a dangerous weapon. 

Hassan and Achkar, who had developed animosity towards each other leading up to the incident, bumped heads at a local beauty store, located on Warren Ave., on April 18, 2012. Several minutes later, both women engaged in a physical altercation in the parking lot of an apartment complex off of Garling Drive, where Hassan had been living.

Natalie Hassan.

Also thrown into the feud was Nancy Faraj, another woman who also lived at the apartment complex, but claimed she was coming to aid her friend, Achkar, after seeing the confrontation from her window. Faraj says she suffered minor injuries as well, after Hassan got into her vehicle and attempted to flee the scene, running over Achkar in the process. 

Faraj’s testimony in court proved to be inconsistent however, with text message evidence suggesting that Faraj and Achkar had plotted to engage in a physical altercation with Hassan, immediately after the run-in at the beauty store.

It is not clear what exactly triggered an altercation with the three women, but those close to them say it may have been over a friendship Faraj had developed with Hassan’s ex husband. Hassan and her ex-husband have a three-year-old daughter together.

In court on Tuesday, October 22, a jury found Hassan guilty of reckless driving, causing injury to Achkar; guilty of assault with a dangerous weapon; and guilty of fleeing the scene. However, Hassan was found not guilty of assault with intent to murder; not guilty of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, less than murder; and not guilty of any charges pertaining to Faraj.

A hearing is scheduled for November 9, before Judge Vera Massey Jones, where sentencing for Hassan is expected. With only one felonious charge count, she can potentially see a sentence as light as 3-28 months in jail, with a possible eligibility for probation. 

Hassan’s defense attorneys, however, tell The Arab American News (TAAN) that they may file an appeal against the convictions, or follow motion for a new trial, claiming the court had rejected instructions on duress.

“Ultimately there are no real winners in this case. It’s unfortunate that an individual had to suffer a serious injury in this matter,” says Amir Makled, who practices out of the Law Office of Cyril C. Hall, the firm representing Hassan. “It goes to show how quickly a bad incident can happen, when we fail to control our behavior. Let this be a message to other people that we need to watch our children and the friends they associate themselves with. Everybody is a product of the friends they keep.”

TAAN spoke briefly to Hassan’s mother, who stated that the families involved in the ordeal have been distraught by the incident and that all of the women who engaged in the altercation are to be blamed equally for the violence that ensued. 

TAAN did not get a response from Achkar’s family, when contacted about her current condition. Friends of Achkar confirm that she is currently in a wheel chair and is semi-responsive. After suffering severe head trauma from the incident, she has had to undergo neurosurgery at least twice, along with physical therapy.