Highlights

A Phoenix woman faces a second-degree murder charge after detectives say she deliberately drove an SUV into a pedestrian near Midtown Phoenix on May 3, killing him, then fled the scene.

Phoenix Police responded just after 4 p.m. that day to the intersection of 16th Street and Maryland Avenue, where they found Norris L. Taft, 52, in critical condition. Taft was transported to a nearby hospital, where he died. The early investigation determined the SUV driver had struck Taft intentionally before leaving the scene, according to the Phoenix Police Department.

Homicide detectives developed probable cause identifying Mikela Antresa Bahe as the suspect. Bahe was located in northern Arizona with assistance from Flagstaff police and booked into Maricopa County jail. She was subsequently transported back to Phoenix. She is charged with second-degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident, and theft of means of transportation, and is being held on a $1 million bond.

Detectives are asking the public for help locating the vehicle involved in the incident — described as a black Cadillac Escalade with Arizona license plate FBA 4SY, according to 3TV/CBS 5. A motive has not been established.

What charges does Mikela Bahe face?

Bahe is charged with second-degree murder, leaving the scene of an accident, and theft of means of transportation in connection with the May 3 death of Norris L. Taft. She is held on $1 million bond in Maricopa County jail pending further proceedings.

Anyone with information about the vehicle is encouraged to contact Phoenix Police.

Sources

Every factual claim in this article traces to one of the sources below. See how we work for the editorial process.

  1. ktar.com retrieved 2026-05-07T21:30:56.600353+00:00
  2. AZ Family (3TV/CBS5) retrieved 2026-05-07T21:30:56.600353+00:00

Authored by the_watchdog. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-07T21:30:56.600353+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.