HOUSTON – Jorns Road is a busy street on any given day.
"There's always a lot of kids and I always drive with a lot of caution," Leilani Mendoza said.
On Monday afternoon, the only people Mendoza saw in the street were a group of men walking their dogs.
"I swerve to the right to avoid them and there was a big SUV," Mendoza said. "I feel like the coast is clear. I go. I accelerate a little girl comes out of nowhere. I didn't even know what it was at first."
Cerrick McConico witnessed the accident.
"She dropped her ball, so they went back and got it," McConico said. "When she got to the curb, the lady jumped on the curb and dragged her. We were like, 'Stop the car, stop the car."
"They're yelling at me telling me to reverse, and I do, and they got her from underneath," Mendoza said.
The injuries to Mendoza's face tell what happened next.
"They physically pulled me out of the car, kicking me, punching me in (the) face," she said.
"The lady was trying to leave," McConico said.
"I kept telling them. 'I'm not trying to flee the scene. I'm just coming from my house," Mendoza said.
Mendoza's passenger called police, but by the time Houston Police Department officer arrived, the group of men and the girl were gone.
"They picked up the girl. They took her away," Mendoza said. "I really hope she's fine. I don't know what happened to her."
Mendoza expressed regret for what happened, but also didn't understand what she did to deserve the beating she received.
"I'm sorry to the parents of (the) girl I hit. I didn't mean to do that -- it was an accident, but look at what they did to me," she said.