A 28-year-old woman's brazen actions at Laurel's Main Street Festival on May 10 have landed her behind bars. Kai DeBerry-Bostick, a Bowie State University graduate and former cheerleader, faces assault charges after striking a police officer with her car and plowing through barricades into a crowded street fair.
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The chaotic scene, captured on
bodycam footage, unfolded as she insisted she needed to get to work in Virginia, via the New York Post.Swift action from Laurel Police ensured no festival-goers suffered injuries, but the officer sustained minor harm.
Bodycam Reveals Defiant Standoff
Trouble erupted when DeBerry-Bostick, a former Bulldog cheerleader and Zeta Delta sorority member, confronted an officer blocking her path. With Main Street closed for the festival, her BMW sat trapped behind police tape. "I need to get out," she insisted, brushing off the officer's offer to arrange a taxi. "I gotta go to work."
"You cannot move this car," the officer ordered as she neared the yellow tape. "I might have to," she retorted, tearing it down.
She then drove onto Main Street, nearly hitting a man pushing a stroller. "Excuse me, y'all," she shouted as festival-goers screamed and scattered.
"Stop your car!" the officer yelled, moments after her vehicle clipped him. Police swiftly pulled DeBerry-Bostick from the car and handcuffed her on the pavement.
Authorities charged her with second-degree assault, resisting arrest, and traffic violations, Laurel Police confirmed.
Cheerleader Gone Wild
Earlier that morning, a propane tank explosion had already rocked the festival, injuring a vendor and canceling the annual parade. Authorities labeled the blast a "negligent accident," but it set a tense tone. Hours later, DeBerry-Bostick's actions further upended the 44-year-old Main Street Festival, infuriating attendees.
Once an honor student who graduated in 2021 with an accounting degree, DeBerry-Bostick earned praise from her sorority for securing a tax services job. Now, social media paints a different picture. "This screams entitlement," one X user posted, slamming her defiance. Others called her behavior a sign of "cultural decay."
Laurel Police commended their officers for preventing harm to festival-goers. As DeBerry-Bostick awaits her day in court, the community reflects on a day meant for joy, now marred by recklessness. Yet, relief prevails that a greater tragedy didn't unfold.
