A woman who commandeered a police SUV earlier this week in West Garfield Park – trailing a Chicago police officer who tried to arrest her – has been charged with attempted murder and several other counts, it said on Wednesday Cook County prosecutors.

But a private defense attorney described Whitley Temple, 34, as a hardworking mother whose actions were completely irrelevant, and said he had ‘reason to believe’ she had been sexually assaulted before the ‘incident.

The officer who was injured was responding to a call for gunfire Monday morning when a dispatcher announced that Temple was “naked, drunk and threatening to hit people” on Kostner Avenue and Jackson Boulevard, according to a arrest report.

After finding Temple lying on the street and partially clothed, the officer got out of his marked SUV to check on her and called an ambulance, Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said.

Temple then jumped into the officer’s SUV as he tried to stop her, but she pulled over the car in reverse, dragging the officer with the car and causing him to hit his head against a vehicle in parking lot, Murphy said.

The officer suffered a gash to the head which required six stitches, according to Murphy, who remarked that it was “a miracle” the officer was alive.

The 47-year-old officer was discharged from hospital the same day.

Temple, who was eventually taken into custody after a foot chase, was taken to Stroger Hospital. She remained hospitalized on Wednesday and was unable to attend the hearing.

Defense attorney Javaron Buckley said Temple had been sexually assaulted shortly before the incident, which he said explained why she was partially clothed as well as her erratic behavior.

“Ms. Temple is also a victim,” according to Buckley, who said Temple did not dispute the prosecutors’ allegations.

Buckley did not provide details of the alleged assault, saying the allegations were “extremely serious” and he did not want to say them without verifying them.

Temple is a tax accountant who owns two businesses to support her 6-year-old daughter, the lawyer said, and is actively involved in her community.

“Ms. Temple has absolutely no [criminal] context,” the attorney said, later adding that “there may be more than one victim in a case.”

Prosecutors have filed a motion asking Judge Kelly McCarthy to hold Temple without bond, but the judge said she will wait to rule until Temple can appear for a hearing.

McCarthy agreed something else appeared to be going on in the case, but said setting Temple’s bail at $2 million in cash was necessary to keep the community safe until further hearings. can take place.

In video of the encounter that has been circulating on social media, a woman enters the police cruiser through an unlocked front door. The officer orders her out as he appears to be trying to pull her out of the driver’s seat. She appears to put the car in reverse, knocking the officer to the ground with the door and dragging him as she narrowly avoids colliding with another car.

Another video obtained by the Sun-Times shows the woman running away with the door ajar while the officer, apparently bleeding from the head, was on the ground.

Temple drove the patrol car to a gas station, where it hit a vehicle, briefly ran through the station, then drove off, driving the patrol car over 95 mph on the Eisenhower Expressway, Murphy said. .

She allegedly weaved through traffic until she descended Sacramento Boulevard at high speed, hitting several other vehicles as she continued driving, before crashing into the 2000 block of West Harrison Street and be stopped after a brief kick. hunt.

Radio traffic said she was admitted to Stroger Hospital for a psychological evaluation. Temple tested positive for benzodiazepine, a type of psychoactive drug, and cannabinoids, which can include marijuana or CBD, prosecutors said according to initial toxicology reports.

Prior to stealing the car, multiple witnesses saw Temple walking out of her home naked and acting “irrationally,” Murphy said.

These witnesses reportedly said they saw Temple pull a gun from his bag and shoot them before driving off in his own car. CCTV cameras and other witnesses also told investigators they saw Temple hitting cars in her own vehicle, including an AT&T work truck, before she was seen putting on shorts, said Murphy.

Temple allegedly told an AT&T employee that she had a gun, but no weapon was seen in surveillance video from the area, Murphy said.

Temple, of West Garfield Park, was charged with felony attempted first degree murder, aggravated assault of a peace officer, resisting or obstructing a peace officer, hijacking a vehicle and possession of a stolen law enforcement vehicle, police said. She also faces a misdemeanor for driving with a suspended license and a citation for not having insurance.

His next hearing was scheduled for Tuesday.