Phoenix Dating-App Horror: Woman Accused of Stealing Date’s SUV & Running Him Over in Parking Lot | 17GEN4 News
- 17GEN4
- 8 hours ago
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Phoenix Dating-App Horror: Woman Accused of Stealing Date’s SUV & Running Him Over in Parking Lot | 17GEN4 News
PHOENIX — May 8, 2026 — A Phoenix woman is behind bars on a $1 million cash-only bond after she allegedly stole her date’s SUV and intentionally ran him over when he tried to stop her from driving away — a deadly encounter that began on a dating app and ended in a parking-lot tragedy captured on surveillance video.
Thirty-year-old Mikela Antresa Bahe, of Winslow, Arizona, faces felony charges including second-degree murder, leaving the scene of a fatal accident and theft of means of transportation in the death of 52-year-old Norris L. Taft.
According to Phoenix police and court documents, the two connected on the MokoSpace dating app. On Sunday afternoon, May 3, Taft picked Bahe up at a Dunkin’ Donuts location. The pair then stopped at a dispensary and a Shell gas station before heading back to Taft’s apartment complex near 16th Street and Maryland Avenue.
Taft later told family members he believed he had been “catfished” — that Bahe did not resemble the photos on her dating profile — and he was trying to end the date and return her home. Surveillance footage obtained by investigators shows Bahe leaving the apartment complex and getting into Taft’s black Cadillac Escalade (Arizona license plate FBA 4SY).
As she began to drive away, Taft stepped into the parking lot and stood directly in front of the SUV with his arms outstretched in an attempt to stop her. The vehicle continued forward, striking Taft and dragging him underneath before fleeing the scene. First responders arrived just after 4 p.m. and found Taft with critical injuries. He was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Detectives reviewed surveillance video and quickly identified Bahe as the suspect. The following day, she was captured on camera being dropped off at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, where she boarded a Groome Transportation shuttle to Flagstaff. With assistance from the Flagstaff Police Department, authorities located and arrested Bahe without incident on Wednesday, May 6. She was transported back to Phoenix and booked into the Maricopa County Jail.
Latest updates as of Friday, May 8:
Bahe remains in custody on the $1 million bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 13. Phoenix police continue to search for the missing black Cadillac Escalade and are asking the public for help locating the vehicle. Anyone with information is urged to contact Phoenix police at 602-626-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish speakers).
Taft’s daughter, Brianna Fallon, told reporters she only recently learned the full details of her father’s death and described it as difficult to believe. The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign titled “Honoring Norris: Help Us Give Him a Proper Goodbye” to cover funeral expenses.
No motive has been publicly released beyond the events described in court documents. Police have emphasized the act was intentional.The case has drawn renewed attention to safety concerns surrounding online dating encounters. 17GEN4 News will continue to follow developments, including any recovery of the vehicle and further court proceedings.