13 March 2024 , 05:37
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A suspect accused of hitting the girlfriend of a US soccer star and former Premier League player has been pictured.
Ellie Bentley, 22, spent two weeks in intensive care getting life-saving treatment for the injuries she sustained when she was dragged two blocks by the hit-and-run driver. She had been getting out of her car on February 25 near her home in St Louis, Missouri, when she was caught in the crossfire as an "unlucky bystander."
Hiding for her life, Ellie was hiding underneath a vehicle when a gunfight broke out. The gunfire allegedly caused Dionte Taylor, 25, to reverse the car and speed away, allegedly dragging Ellie for two blocks down the street, reports The Sun. leaving her with badly broken limbs following the incident.
READ MORE: Premier League star's ex fighting for life after being dragged under car in hit-and-run shooting
Ellie Bentley, 22, from England was involved in a life-threatening hit-and-run incident in St. Louis, Missouri (Instagram)Alleged gunman Andre Wilson, 35, has also been arrested after being accused of opening fire on a group when they tried to get into the wrong car.
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Ellie was originally from Birmingham and recently graduated from the University of York in maths and physics. She moved to the US with her then-boyfriend, former Aston Villa player Indiana Vassilev, when he transferred to MLS side St Louis FC. Speaking to the US Sun, her attorney, Ben Tobin, a partner at Pratt & Tobin personal injury lawyers, said she still has "a long road of recovery."
Alleged gunman Andre Wilson, 35, has also been arrested after being accused of opening fire on a group when they tried to get into the wrong car (City of St. Louis)Describing the incident, he said: "She had just gotten out of a car when the shooting started. She ducked down behind another vehicle until the shooting stopped, but then the person whose car she was hiding behind floored it, hit her, ran her over, and dragged her for a couple of blocks."
Ben said Ellie hadn't known anyone else involved in the incident and that she was an "unlucky bystander." He also said the person who hit Ellie in the car "knew she was there" when he hit her. Police say the incident began when a group of people tried to get into the wrong car thinking it belonged to one of them. The driver, a 35-year-old man, then shot at the group.
Indiana Vassilev of Aston Villa in action during the Premier League match between Aston Villa and Watford FC at Villa Park on January 21, 2020 (Aston Villa FC via Getty Images)Ben added: "Based on the video footage, there's no way for the individual that hit her and ran her over and dragged her to argue that he did not know that she was underneath the vehicle when he took off."
A GoFundMe has since surpassed £14,000 to help her family's mounting medical bills, which the fundraiser said have been 'compounded by Ellie and her family's non-American citizenship.'
Alleged driver Taylor has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused physical injury, while Wilson was charged a week after the shooting with first degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held without bond.