A woman now has screws holding her lower jaw in place after she dared to tell an 18-year-old to stop driving so fast, according to investigators in North Carolina.
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It happened in June in an Aberdeen residential neighborhood and on Aug. 19, the charge was upgraded to a felony based on the seriousness of the injuries, Aberdeen police said in an Aug. 24 news release.
Investigators say the woman told police she confronted Aberdeen resident Frederick Ike Cooper “over him driving his vehicle at a high rate of speed in the neighborhood.”
“After a verbal debate, Cooper punched her in the face with a closed fist and fled the scene,” police said. “The female was bleeding from the mouth and had visible injuries.”
Cooper was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault on a female and misdemeanor assault inflicting serious injury, officials said.
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“Upon additional investigation … it was determined that the extent of the injuries to the victim were especially extensive,” police said.
“The female victim’s mandible was broken, and she received surgery that included a metal plate and screws being placed to reset her jaw. Due to that information, on August 19, Cooper was charged with an additional charge of felony assault inflicting serious bodily injury.”
Aberdeen is about 70-mile drive southwest from downtown Raleigh.
This story was originally published August 25, 2026 at 6:46 AM with the headline “Woman tells 18-year-old driver to slow down, and he breaks her jaw, NC police say.”
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