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Pictured: Driver who 'hit British ex-girlfriend of US soccer star', 22, before 'dragging her under his car for two blocks and leaving her fighting for her life in hospital after gunfight'
A driver who allegedly hit the British ex-girlfriend of a US soccer star before dragging her under his car for two blocks has now been pictured.
Ellie Bentley, 22, from Bingham, east of Nottingham, was left fighting for her life in hospital after suffering horrific injuries that have led to five major reconstructive surgeries on February 25.
She was hiding underneath a vehicle when a gunfight broke out in the US city St. Louis in Missouri. The gunfire caused Dionte Taylor, 25, to allegedly reverse the car and speed away, dragging Bentley underneath the car for two blocks, the Sun reports.
The gunfight allegedly broke out after a man attempted to get into the wrong car, after which Andre Wilson, 35, opened fire, hitting the 25-year-old man in the chest five times, according to his arrest report.
Alleged driver Taylor has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused physical injury, while Wilson was charged a week after the shooting with first degree assault, armed criminal action, unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held without bond.
The gunfire caused Dionte Taylor (pictured), 25, to reverse his car and speed away, dragging Bentley, who was hiding underneath, for two blocks, the Sun reports
Ellie Bentley had recently graduated from the University of York with a degree in maths and physics
Andre Wilson (pictured), 35, allegedly opened fire on a group when they tried to get into the wrong car. As Bentley ducked for cover, the shooting led another driver to speed off and strike her, leaving her injured in the road
Bentley's ex-boyfriend is Indiana Vassilev (pictured) who joined MLS side St. Louis FC. He had previously played with Aston Villa
After finally regaining consciousness on Saturday following weeks in the ICU, Bentley took to Instagram on Tuesday to tell her supporters, 'I appreciate all the kindness.'
A GoFundMe has since surpassed £14,000 to help her family's mounting medical bills, which the fundraiser said have been 'compounded by Ellie and her family's non-American citizenship.'
Bentley moved to the US last year with her then-boyfriend and football player Indiana Vassilev, who previously played for Aston Villa.Bentley was rushed to hospital having suffered several broken limbs and was placed in intensive care for two weeks, before finally being released on Saturday.
She has since undergone five major reconstructive surgeries and will have additional operations in the near future.
Her family has since traveled from the UK to be by her side as she continues to make a recovery, with a GoFundMe page set up to help pay for mounting medical expenses.
Ellie Bentley, 22, from England was involved in a life-threatening hit-and-run incident in St. Louis, Missouri, after getting caught up in a gun battle in February
The bullets began to fly in the eclectic Grove neighborhood of St. Louis
Bentley was dragged under a car for two blocks; she had moved to the US with her then-boyfriend, Indiana Vassilev, who played for St. Louis FC
However, her attorney, Ben Tobin, said her path to recovery will be a long one. 'She had just gotten out of a car when the shooting started,' he explained to The Sun.
'She ducked down behind another vehicle until the shooting stopped, but then the person whose car she was hiding behind floored it, hit her, ran her over, and dragged her for a couple of blocks.'
Tobin said Bentley had no connection to either party involved in the shooting and was simply an unfortunate bystander.
He added that the recent university graduate thought 'she was going to die'.
'For the entire time, she was lying there trying to hold on and do whatever she could so she didn't end up getting kicked out under the wheel,' he said.
Tobin noted how video footage appeared to show the driver who hit Bentley was well aware of her presence when he fled the scene, running her over in the process.
'Based on the video, there's no way for the individual that hit her and ran her over and dragged her to argue that he did not know that she was underneath the vehicle when he took off,' he said.
A witness to the horror hit-and-run, Mollie Schwein, said she was woken up by screaming in the early hours of the morning from outside her nearby apartment.
The 22-year-old had moved to the US with her premier league star boyfriend. Although they appear to no longer be together, she remained in St. Louis
Caught up in the crossfire, Bentley was underneath a nearby car and was injured when the driver took off and dragged her along the road for two blocks
Vassilev, originally from Savannah, Georgia, played two seasons with Inter Miami before signing with St. Louis City in 2023
'Like most 22-year-olds, I enjoyed dance, going to the gym, and yoga, and devoted two-to-three hours a day to physical fitness. Now I can't move my legs or my right arm,' Bentley said in a statement through her lawyer
'I heard him yell, 'I've been shot', and it became very real,' she told FirstAlert4.
Schwein added that she heard several women shouting down the street as police arrived at the shooting, and another witness said they saw employees at a nearby bar run over to help Bentley on the street.
Bentley moved to Missouri last year when Vassilev, 23, joined MLS side St. Louis FC.
Vassilev, originally from Savannah, Georgia, signed with Villa from in 2020 but only made four appearances with the team after being released on loan to play for Burton Albion and then Cheltenham Town.
He finally made a return to the States in 2021 playing two seasons with Inter Miami before signing with St. Louis City last year.
Bentley, meanwhile, graduated last summer from the University of York with a degree in mathematics and physics.
'Like most 22-year-olds, I enjoyed dance, going to the gym, and yoga, and devoted two-to-three hours a day to physical fitness. Now I can't move my legs or my right arm,' Bentley said in a statement through her lawyer.