A 29-year-old Montgomery County man is being held without bond on second-degree murder charges after allegedly hitting a woman with his vehicle Sunday night in Virginia.
Muhammad Taha, of Clarksburg, is accused of intentionally striking 66-year-old Shamsa Begum around 5 p.m. on Cloverhill Road in Manassas, Virginia, according to police. Begum was taken to a hospital where she died.
Police said Taha and Begum knew each other, but did not elaborate on their relationship.
Taha is a Montgomery County school system bus attendant and is on unpaid administrative leave, according to a school system spokesperson. Information about how long Taha has been employed by the school system or the bus routes he traveled was not available Wednesday.
An online fundraising campaign for Begum said she was “murdered in front of her house in a senseless and unprovoked crime.” The page says she was an immigrant from Pakistan who has three children and three grandchildren.
“She was the epitome of the American dream, having built a fruitful life in the US through hard work and perseverance,” the fundraising page said. More than $26,000 had been donated to the campaign as of early Wednesday afternoon.
Taha allegedly left the scene after the crash and was located at a nearby 7-Eleven convenience store where he was charged with second-degree murder, driving under the influence and possession of an open alcoholic beverage while operating a vehicle.
Attorney information for Taha was not available, but court records show he is being held without bond and is scheduled to appear in court in late May.
Caitlynn Peetz can be reached at caitlynn.peetz@moco360.media
