Daughter of Dallas woman accused of shooting other driver claims it was self defense
DALLAS - The daughter of a woman arrested for shooting a man on I-20 in Dallas this week says her mother was not the aggressor and that they feared for their lives.
44-year-old Latuita Holland is facing an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon charge after police say she shot a man in the stomach Tuesday night.
Latuita’s daughter, Laderrika Holland, was in the passenger seat with her mom that evening.
"I feel like she thought it was a life-or-death situation, and I did too," she said.
Laderrika says she and her mother were on their way to work for a night shift. She says it all started when the driver of a Chevy suburban hopped on the highway.
"In order for him not to hit us, we switch over to a different lane and speed up so he wouldn’t hit us. But he ends up switching all the way over to the left lane. And after that, he switches over to the right lane, and he throws on his hazard lights," she recalled. "We are passing him and an 18-wheeler and then out of nowhere speeding again, and he cuts us off. Jumps in front of us and cuts us off and slams on his brakes."
Laderrika says she called 911 during the incident. Her phone is in police custody, but her recent log on her Apple Watch shows her call just before 11 p.m. Tuesday night.
"He’s right here trying to ram the side of our car," she said.
According to an arrest warrant affidavit, Latuita told investigators a similar story. Police say she told them the suburban "aggressively cut her off" and she "reached for her handgun and fired a warning shot."
Scene video shows the suburban’s back window shot out.
Laderricka also confirmed to police her mom opened fire.
"She felt like she didn’t have another other choice as to do what she did," the daughter said.
The affidavit goes on to say Latuita told police she tried to exit the interstate at Lancaster Road, but the driver of the suburban "stopped his vehicle in the middle of the exit ramp, blocking the roadway."
Laderrika told police the driver of the suburban was acting like he had something in his hand. Her daughter backed that up.
"He was walking up towards us with his arm up. We couldn’t see if he had anything in hand," she said. "And that’s when my mom took the shot. I was talking to 911, and everything was going was going fast."
Laderrika says after her mom fired that second shot, her mother and another driver got out and applied pressure to the man’s gunshot wound.
When police arrived, officers made contact with Latuita and found her gun placed on the hood of her vehicle.
Dallas police say "no weapon was found on or near the man."
The man was taken to Baylor Hospital in critical condition.
"I’m scared for my life. I just wanted to go to work," Laderrika said. "Me and my mom, that's all we wanted to do. Just go to work."
A Dallas detective called Laderrika Thursday right to have her explain her side of the story once again.
Laderrika’s mom remains in the Dallas County jail.
Prior to this arrest, Latuita had no felonies on her record.
The district attorney’s office will ultimately determine whether to move forward with prosecution.