On a Sunday afternoon in May 2024, the life of 21-year-old Demario Patterson of Buffalo was tragically cut short. The young man was intentionally struck by a vehicle in what authorities have described as a senseless act of violence. The incident unfolded in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo, following a dispute that began at a local car wash.
Earlier that day, Patterson was with two other individuals, a man and a woman, at a car wash on Walden Avenue.
An argument reportedly broke out between the woman and the other male passenger. Following this initial confrontation, Patterson and the other man left the car wash on foot, attempting to distance themselves from the escalating situation. They proceeded to cross the street, heading westbound on Walden Avenue and then across Union Road.
The woman, identified as 21-year-old Iyanna R. Scott of Buffalo, allegedly followed the two men in her Hyundai Elantra. With the intent to cause them harm, she is said to have accelerated her vehicle, driving directly into their path as they crossed Union Road. The car struck Demario Patterson, inflicting fatal injuries. He was rushed by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center, but he could not be saved. The second man was not injured in the collision.
After striking Patterson, Scott allegedly fled the scene without reporting the incident to the police. Her vehicle was later discovered abandoned on Briscoe Avenue in the City of Buffalo. An investigation by the Cheektowaga Police Department's Accident Investigation Unit and the Buffalo Police Department led to her identification and subsequent arrest.
Iyanna R. Scott was later indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges, including Murder in the Second Degree, Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, and Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting Resulting in Death. Following her arraignment, she was held without bail. If convicted of the most serious charge, she faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The case is now moving through the legal system, with prosecutors preparing for trial.
