Driver Pleads Innocent to Hitting Woman, Baby in Stroller

A Union City man who drove his car into  in Fremont last month pleaded not guilty to felony reckless driving Tuesday, according to media reports.

, 21, is charged with causing bodily injury while speeding during road rage incident, the Fremont Argus reports.

A pretrial hearing has been set for Oct. 4, the newspaper said.

Prosecutors say Ansari was speeding in his 2000 Nissan Maxima when he struck the mother and her baby daughter at about 11 a.m. on July 18 near the intersection of Fremont and Peralta boulevards. The woman, her 1-year-old daughter and her 3-year-old son were standing on the northeast corner sidewalk while waiting to cross the street.

The 43-year-old mother suffered a concussion, along with a broken nose and cuts on her face and arms, the Argus reports. The 1-year-old baby suffered a head injury and was treated at Children’s Hospital in Oakland. The other child was not hurt.

According to the Argus, Ansari told police that another driver sped past him while he was waiting at a red light on Peralta Boulevard at west Paseo Padre Parkway.

Court documents revealed that Ansari became angry and stomped on the gas. He told police that his car reached 65 mph, the same speed that he said the other driver was at, near the area of Peralta Boulevard and Camden Street. The speed limit there is 35 mph, police told the newspaper.

Ansari told police that he passed the other driver, who slowed down, but realized he was going too fast, the Argus reports. Ansari slammed his brakes, which locked up. The car spun out, slid and hit a light pole. He said he saw two pedestrians right before the impact and helped pull a woman from under his car after the accident.

Read the full Argus report here.