Mother charged with attempted murder after son hit by SUV

CTVNews.ca Staff, with a report from CTV Windsor’s Ricardo Veneza

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An Ontario woman has been charged with attempted murder after allegedly trying to run over her teenage son with an SUV, leaving him fighting for his life in hospital.

Police in Windsor, Ont., say a 16-year-old boy suffered life-threatening injuries Saturday, when he was intentionally hit by a vehicle and pinned against a wall at an apartment complex.

About 20 minutes earlier, the mother had confronted her son at a nearby fast-food restaurant, believing he had stolen something belonging to her.

Police were called, but no action was taken because the teen had left and the woman decided not to make a formal complaint.

“If a complainant is leaving a scene and doesn’t want to report something, there’s no legal authority for an officer to detain that person or keep them there as long as they’re acting within the law – and at that time they were,” Windsor Police Sgt. Steve Betteridge said.

Debbie Rivait, who witnessed the confrontation at the restaurant, said Monday that she felt police could have done more to defuse the situation.

“People stepped in to try to help this situation, and I just feel like nothing was done [by police],” she told CTV Windsor. “This could have been prevented.”

Maria Chouinard, a 33-year-old woman from nearby LaSalle, Ont., has been charged with one count of attempted murder. Police say they may lay more charges.

The 16-year-old remains in critical condition in hospital.